


Koete

by like_islands, whos_li



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Crack Treated Seriously, Eventual Romance, F/M, Into the Avatar-Verse, Slow Burn, Swearing, ish, only slightly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 61,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26077894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/like_islands/pseuds/like_islands, https://archiveofourown.org/users/whos_li/pseuds/whos_li
Summary: “Time is an illusion, and so is death.”When Charlie wakes up in a world that’s not her own, surrounded by people who by all accounts should be fictional, she's at a complete loss for how she got there in the first place. Charlie journeys to find her own destiny while struggling to help the Avatar complete his.Or, a quick-witted teen with red hair and freckles gets thrown into the Avatar universe and is somehow expected to fit in. Obviously, she kind of fails. With her knowledge of the TV show, she pretends to be psychic to aiding her in helping the Gaang—now she just needs to keep up her lie.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 73





	1. The Swamp

The wind blew colder as the rain hammered down on the water’s surface. Each roll of thunder drowned out the piercing screams of terror that surrounded the ocean around her. She was gasping for air at every breach of the waves, her heart high in her throat. A sudden explosion of light illuminated the sky, and for a second she could see the destruction around her. A great gust of wind pushed her back down. She fought to stay afloat, kicking her legs as hard as she could. She didn’t have time to breathe again before another wave crashed over her head, grabbing onto her and pulling her downwards. The sound of the next thunderous boom was drowned out and muffled. Her legs stopped kicking when she realized the surface was further away than it had been before. She contemplated giving up. Her lungs ached and begged for air.

For a moment, it was calm under the water.

Then, another burst of lightning brightened her surroundings. It was shocking enough to give her the adrenaline rush she needed to kick her way back up to the surface. Her muscles were screaming for a release from the abrasive waves.

The rain spat in her face again, but the waves had now settled and stilled. Her chest was heaving, lungs burning with the residual water trapped inside. She couldn’t see and she couldn’t hear anything but white noise as she struggled to push herself upright. She only managed to get onto all fours as her breath quickened, the sting of salt water still scratching against her tightly shut eyes. It was hot—too hot—and she could hear the blood pumping in her ears. She knew she was hyperventilating, but there was no one to rub her back and remind her to breathe. She was alone, and terrified. She couldn’t remember getting to land, but all of a sudden, she was there, and she seriously doubted she'd blacked out for however long it took her to reach trees. 

Her arms buckled underneath her, sending her straight to the waterlogged ground, panic rising in her again as the water touched her face. She thrashed away, hearing the shallow water slosh around her, eyes still closed. She couldn’t manage to peel them open. She begged herself to wake up from whatever sick dream she was having. She’d had hyper-realistic dreams before but she’d never actually felt like she was truly dying in them. She still felt sheer terror by being in or near any sort of water. She wanted a dry bed and for her mother to hold her. It was childish, she knew, but that's how terrified she was. Her breath quickened again as she realized there was a possibility she wasn’t dreaming. 

“It’s just a dream, come on! Open your eyes and you’ll be in your room. Come on, Charlie,” she muttered to herself uncontrollably, almost hysterical. 

She slowly forced opened her eyes and blinked back tears. She wasn’t home, and she wasn’t in the ocean anymore either. Her heart was still pounding away in her throat, but the tightness had left her chest. Her body had gone numb and her muscles limp, not even able to twitch her finger. The exhaustion weighed down her body. She held her breath a second too long and succumbed to the black spots that filled her line of sight. 

When Charlie came to, she found herself collapsed onto her side. She groaned and whimpered as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position. At first her arms were unable to hold up her own weight, and she fell back into the mud. Confusion painted her features as she slowly realized she still wasn’t dreaming and still wasn’t home. Charlie still felt scared, wanting to cry again, but she had exhausted through her energy, rendering her unable. Her eyes widened as she felt sick, and shoved her head to the side. Bile and saltwater spilled from her mouth, causing her to reflexively gag between whimpers.

Charlie softly sobbed to herself, trying to rationalize if she remembered this place or not. She didn’t have a phone or a flashlight on her, and it was hard to see in the dark. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically. She could still taste the salt from the ocean under the bile which stained her mouth. Charlie wasn’t sure how long she laid in murky water beside her mess of bile, but when she heard animals begin to make eerie noises around her, she knew better than to stay. 

Charlie shakily stood on her feet, water reaching her calves. Her hair was plastered to her face as she whipped her head around to take in her surroundings. 

In all directions around her, moss-covered trees stood tall with long, thin vines stemming from their branches connecting to each other. A soft fog coated the ground, making the distance seem blurry and pale. An occasional gleam of silver moonlight shone through the gaps of the leaves, creating a radiant glow on the water beneath her feet. Charlie slowly moved out of the water, looking behind her to see she was standing on the edge of a wide, murky river. Moss patches grew on the water’s surface, disturbed by occasional ripples from below. It was an unsettling thought that she wasn’t alone in the river.

She had to move—she had to get home. It was the only thought on Charlie’s otherwise blank mind. Walking was a chore on her stiff legs. Abdomen tensing as she coughed out more salt water, her mind was determined to continue. However, her body didn’t seem to get the memo as her knees hit the ground again. Charlie was rasping with each breath and was still tired, just wishing for a bed to collapse into. When she finally lifted her head again, she saw a warm light in the distance. 

Charlie walked towards the glow, slow and steady, as the stinging in her lungs got more painful. She was desperate for warmth—for safety—and the assurance that she couldn’t be far from home. The light grew closer and she could see multiple shadows sitting around it. Small, wooden huts entered her vision as the sprinkling of rain started up again. Charlie flinched with every droplet that touched her skin. Her vision was growing dim yet again and every step she took sent a shattering pain up her spine. As Charlie cleared another foot or so, the shadows turned to her. 

The sound of a body clamoring towards them caused the lively chatter to stop. Fifteen sets of eyes all zeroed in on the area of the swamp the noise was coming from. A few of the men stood, prepping for what they were worried would be a fight. A small figure fell through the thicket and cried out for help. The women immediately rushed to her side, the main healer calling rough orders for the men to stop sitting on their thumbs and pull the child to where they could work. 

They placed her on a pelt near the fire, body wracked with shivers as she zoned in and out of consciousness. “Can you tell us your name?” the kind older woman asked with what sounded like a Southern accent, settling her hair away from her face. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she coughed harshly, her throat raw from screaming and coughing so much. 

“Charlie,” she croaked out, dark brown eyes fluttering, struggling to remain open.

“Alright, we’re gonna fix you up.” 

Charlie nodded and allowed herself to rest again. Her body was covered in blood from multiple cuts and scratches from the trees she’d run into. The breaths she let out were shaky and rattled, and the tribe could all hear the water stuck in her lungs. She looked so differently to them—they assumed she was of the Water Tribe given the ocean-like scent that surrounded her. Her jaw way square, which was quite unnatural to girls, but perhaps more common in the Earth Kingdom. However, her thin, agile body suggested otherwise. Based on the old stories, it was a trait shared by the ancient Air Benders. Most striking was her hair, which was the color of fire. However, her ginger hair paired with the freckled complexion on her nose and cheeks didn’t belong to any nation they’d known of. She was a complete mystery to them. This confusion led to an argument between the tribe of whether or not they should help the odd-looking girl. Of course, the main healer shut this down immediately, insisting that she would help her regardless of her nation.

Charlie was drifting in and out of consciousness, but when she was responsive enough to her surroundings, she found herself leaning on a log by the fire. This time, it didn’t take her as long to remember the predicament she was in. Fabric bandages wrapped around her arms and legs which were only clothed in scraps. Without warning, Charlie began coughing a ridiculous amount and her head started pounding again, leaving her dazed. She turned her head, and her eyes followed shortly after, to see the same older woman from earlier smiling with sympathy. Her palms hovered Charlie’s body and travelled upwards, starting at her legs but halting at her chest. The woman furrowed her brows, frowning to herself in dismay.

“Ja Li, you have water in your lungs, we’ll need to extract it,” she explained softly, looking sympathetic. “Just sit still and you’ll feel better in no time.” 

Charlie was too dazed to process the mistake in pronunciation, and instead just nodded. A few more women crowded around her and they sat with their legs crossed on the mossy ground. One by one, they closed their eyes and Charlie felt a tugging sensation in her chest. From her mouth, droplets of water floated, sending a deep panic straight to her stomach. Charlie went to scream but all that came out was a strangled yelp as a quarter-sized amount of water was drawn from her lungs. When the women opened their eyes, they huddled around the girl who they found sitting frozen, tears running down her face. She had fear in her eyes, and her silent cries broke their hearts. Shortly after, Charlie had fallen victim to unconsciousness again.

When Charlie woke up next, she was in a small, hut-like room. She laid on a soft pile of furs, covered in a light-weight fabric, and with closed eyes, she could almost imagine it was her own bed. Soft light streamed through the wooden arch of the hut. She took inventory on her injuries and how her lungs felt. Her chest felt lighter, she realized she’d been gifted new clothes, they were a tad too big, but soft and warm nonetheless. A green tunic wrapped around her top, with brown trousers covering her legs. Charlie was glad she was finally dry and heaved a sigh of relief. 

“Oh good, you’re awake. Would you like some food?” a small woman asked tentatively walking towards her. 

Charlie nodded and tried to sit up. “Here, have some water.” Charlie squawked with an almost feral look in her eyes. “Okay, okay, no water. Will you eat some stew?” Charlie hesitantly nodded again. She received a look of pity from the other woman, as she walked out of the tent. Charlie wrapped herself in the green blanket they’d given her and curled in on herself. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been out for, but it was bright outside the hut. In fact, the sky was now a dark orange, indicating sunset. In other words, she had slept through the entire day.

Eventually, she stood up to the sound of hearty laughter and ventured outside in search of food. As she hesitantly walked through the arch of the hut, she found herself standing above a group of men who huddled around a fire with sticks of fish in hand. They noticed her presence and gestured to her to join them. Charlie tentatively approached the group, then sat on the ground with them, still at a distance. She wrapped her arms around herself out of comfort, still feeling wary among the tribe. One of the men—Due she remembered—approached her with cooked fish on a stick. The corner of her lip twitched upwards as a sign of appreciation as he silently offered her the food, sitting beside her. 

She watched the other members of the tribe sheltering in the open space beneath their huts, manipulating the water out of the soil. Due noticed her interest, stating “They makin’ sure the huts don’t get no wood rot.” He looked up at the night sky, encased by tree tops. “‘Cause it was stormin’ earlier.”

“How are they doing that with the water?” Charlie asked, tilting her head in their direction. The water seemed to bunch together and form a floating puddle at their will.

“You mean bendin’?” Due stopped picking at his fish for a moment as Charlie nodded. “You’re a strange’un aren’t you?”

Charlie’s eyes narrowed slightly, her expression unamused. “Where I’m from, people can’t do that stuff,” she explained to him.

“Where’d you say you was from again?” he questioned, waving his stick in her direction. Charlie didn’t answer, and instead took a bite of her fish. She knew better than to tell a stranger where she was from, even if he did seem trustworthy. “Okay then, what’s your name?”

“It’s Charlie,” she muttered, letting her eyes droop. She basked in the warmth of the fire, trying to block out the memory of having water forced from her lungs, and the reason the water was there in the first place. 

Due hummed as the fire crackled. “You should get some rest, Ja Li.”

Charlie opened her eyes again. “Huh? No, it’s _Charlie_ ,” she corrected. “And I’m not tired, I’ve been sleeping all day.”

“Jar Li.” Her eye twitched for a second, but she dropped it, not feeling up to an argument. “Your brain might not be tired but your body sure is.” Charlie sighed in response. He was right of course, her arms still ached, barely able to continue holding up her food. He stood up, taking her food for her. She strangely didn’t have much of an appetite anyway.

The older woman approached her as Charlie was headed back to the hut she’d been sleeping in. “You know, you can stay with us as long as you need, we need more women around.”

“Thank you,” Charlie said with genuine appreciation, “for helping out. For everything, but I really need to keep moving.” 

“I understand, young one, but I insist you stay the night. You’re still weary from your journey here, I can see it in your eyes.” 

“One more night won’t kill me.” Charlie twitched her lips into a smile. 

“Do you need a bag for your things?” It wasn’t much of a question as it was a statement. “I’ll pack some food too. I didn’t save you just to let you starve out there.” The woman returned Charlie’s smile, a soft, motherly tone to her voice. One that reminded her too much of her own mother. Tears stung her eyes as she thanked the woman profusely. “You can stay in that hut over there this time. We try to keep the healer’s hut ready in case someone else needs immediate care.” 

She gestured for Charlie to climb up a wooden ladder which brought her to the small, wrap-around porch of the circular hut. It had no door, only an open arch which led into the one room. There wasn’t much to look at, simply some dark green fabric on the floor on top of animal pelts.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, she was exhausted, so it didn’t take long for her to settle down on the floor, wrapped in the light-weight fabric again. She was lulled to sleep by the sound of wind rustling the tree leaves, and the crackling fire that she could still hear from outside.

A soft thump brought Charlie out of her slumber. A second thump came, followed by another. It felt like a heartbeat, though it wasn’t her own. There was no sound, but she felt the vibrations pulse throughout her body.

Charlie opened her eyes. The heartbeat called to her, and she instinctively responded by standing up in a daze. She began walking almost automatically, feeling like she had no control over her movements. The thought didn’t bother her as much as it should have.

After climbing down the ladder, she found herself facing Due and the woman who healed her. “Ja Li? Where are you goin’ off to?” Due asked, tilting his head.

She remained in her trance, but was conscious enough to respond. “There’s somewhere I need to be now.” Her voice sounded somewhat flat, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. 

The healer walked up to Charlie with a brown bag in her hand and held it out. “In that case, here are your clothes.” She pulled the draw straight tighter to secure the bag before giving it to Charlie, who bowed her head slightly in appreciation. “Be safe, Ja Li.” 

“Thank you for all of your help so far,” Charlie spoke, slinging the bag over her shoulder. She turned away, the heartbeat thumping louder, as if trying to recapture her attention. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon enough.” 

Hypnotized by the heartbeat, she walked out of the camp and didn’t look back. She was unsure how long she walked for, but she was snapped out of her trance when she finally came to a stop in what seemed to be a clearing, decorated with giant tree roots, twisting together and spreading outwards in all directions. The thumping came to a stop when she looked ahead of her.

There stood a mighty tree which raised high above the rest of the swamp, sheltering it with leaves. Thin vines stretched downwards, some reaching the ground, and others falling short. Charlie wasn’t sure what compelled her to start walking up the roots, perhaps the same entity that had called her there in the first place.

As she reached the base of the tree trunk, she found herself staring at a half-naked old man. Charlie recoiled slightly, raising an eyebrow at the unexpected sight.

His eyes were closed, but it was like he could sense she was there. “Hey there,” he spoke with a soft, raspy voice.

Charlie’s eyes widened. “How’d you know I was here?” she asked him, stepping closer. His hair was thick and grey, and it blended into his beard. He sat cross legged between two roots with his hands flat on his knees in a meditative pose. 

He let out a light chuckle and opened his eyes. “How did _you_ know to come here?” he threw back with a twinkle in his eyes. She knew what he was implying. Whatever higher being had called her to come to this tree had called out to him too. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Charlie,” she answered, sitting down cross legged in front of him. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Ja Li.”

Her eye twitched. “It’s _Charlie_ actually, with a ‘Cha’,” she corrected, thinking about how the tribe in the swamp made the same mistake. “Why’s everyone keep doing that?” she muttered under her breath.

“Charlie, huh? That’s a strange name around here.” The man let out a laugh, looking upwards at the tree. The corner of her lip pulled into a slight smile. His positivity reflected back onto Charlie, making her feel more comfortable than before. “Call me Huu.”

“Huu,” she repeated, the name sounding strangely familiar on her lips. “So… do you know what called me here then?” Charlie stared at the trunk of the tree behind Huu. He hummed his answer and fell from his meditative position onto his back, where he too was entranced by the tree’s beauty. 

“Of course,” he began, the wind gently rustling the leaves. The sky slowly grew to become a light blue and pink color, casting light upon the vast swamp. There was something almost welcoming about the sight, comforting her like it hadn’t before. “The banyan grove tree,” Huu continued, “is a sacred being. It calls to those who need it most.”

Charlie’s eyes widened in awe. “So this tree, it—it’s alive?” This humored Huu, judging by his warm laughter. 

“Of course! It’s a living organism, like me. Like you.” 

“Like the world,” Charlie finished, placing her open palm on a tree root which extended past her waist.

Huu sat up and smiled softly. “All the trees in the swamp are connected to each other, and also to the rest of the world. The branches and roots intertwine and expand outward, just like people do. Even when your friends seem far away, if you listen hard enough, you’ll hear them.”

He gestured at the space next to him, encouraging her to sit. Hesitantly, Charlie moved closer to him before accepting his invitation. She took a deep breath and sat down, crossing her legs under the great tree. Her eyes closed, and she focused on her lungs expanding and shrinking, a soft light peeked behind her eyelids. She slowly opened them and a light gasp took all the air out of her lungs. 

There sat a boy, barely twelve years old, with a crooked smile on his face. A girl, around fourteen, with worry wrinkles already settled into her skin. A boy, older than the others, sharpening a hunting knife and rolling his eyes good-naturedly. A sense of longing filled Charlie to the brim, tears dripped from her eyes as she sat under the large tree. Confusion tore through the younger boy’s face as he seemed to look her in the eyes. She shuddered at the thought and the vision drifted away like clouds. The soft light dissipated into the humid breeze. 

When she blinked, it was like she was finally seeing. The view of the pink-skied swamp filled her heart with bittersweet nostalgia. She looked at the man sitting beside her, now knowing why he felt familiar, and why the banyan grove tree comforted her as she sat under its branches.

“But… I don’t understand,” she admitted to Huu, who smiled without a care in the world.

He paused for a minute before he spoke again. “Sometimes, the banyan grove tree shows people visions of their past. People they used to know, and those they miss the most. But it can also show you the future—people who you’ll meet eventually. Time is nothing but an illusion in the swamp. It can show you where you need to be, and its spirit will direct you there.”

“Thank you,” she whispered whole-heartedly, the gentle breeze picking up around them.

The vines from the tree swayed gently, weaving into a large circle. Flowers bloomed on the outskirts of the oval shaped creation, and the golden light circled through it, filling it completely. Like a mirror, she saw her reflection, a determined look crossed her features and she stepped through the opening assuredly. 

The bright sunrise was the first thing to greet her. Charlie had never seen such saturated colors before. Everything truly looked alive. She couldn’t help but drop her jaw as the air left her lungs. She was awestruck and completely in love with the scenery. Even the trees seemed brighter, bolder, and stronger. To be perfectly honest, she couldn’t tell if drugs were involved or not. 

In the distance, she saw a large city, carved out of rock with a sweeping pathway in front of it. Three figures stood at the gateway, and there was no question of who they were. She held onto a flower that had grown on the vines and murmured a goodbye to the swamp she’d come from, trying desperately to remember the aliases she’d heard them use not long ago as the vines fell behind her.

“Holy shit… I'm in Avatar.” 

**Soundtrack**

Avatar’s Love by Samuel King || Charlie first sees the banyan grove tree after walking there in a trance.


	2. Omashu

The walk to the gate of Omashu was peaceful after she’d been transported just before the winding trail. Charlie wracked her brain for the aliases the gaang used as she travelled towards the city.

“I know it starts with a ‘p’,” she muttered to herself, tapping her finger on her chin. Pippen—something, she recalled. “They couldn’t have chosen something more memorable?” Her palms were sweaty by the time she reached the guards, worried she’d come this far just to be turned away. Charlie took a deep breath as she approached guards and faked an expression of innocence.

“State your business,” one of the guards ordered, shadowing her with his height. 

“Um, my name is—” By some luck, the name had slipped out naturally. “Ja Li Pippenpaddleopsicopolis!” The guards shared a glance, recognizing the strange family name. “I believe my grandad and cousins passed by not too long ago?” She smiled at them, her eyes wide.

“You’re awfully far behind them,” the other claimed, narrowing his eyes under his wide-brimmed hat. 

“Oh, you know how forgetful the elderly can be. I stopped for a breather and when I looked up, they were gone.” Charlie threw her hands up for dramatic effect. There was a moment of silence before she dropped her arms awkwardly.

“Hm,” the guards shared another look. “Well, it’s not as if that's a common family name. Just make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble, he seems like the rowdy type.” 

Charlie chuckled out, “You have no idea,” in response, thanking them as she walked through the gate. She was in awe by the beauty of earth bending as the guards barely broke a sweat to open and close what looked like a few yards of solid rock. The whole city was alive with people who used sheer will-power—alongside the ability to earthbend—to move the heavy material. For a moment, Charlie paused, thinking about how she could possibly manage to find the three in the city. It wasn’t long before Charlie was able to zero in on her target—the cabbage man. 

“Hello there! Would you like to buy a cabbage?” the cabbage man announced, proudly holding up one of his cabbages with both hands as she walked past casually, feigning interest. “They’re the best in the city.” He smiled at her in a way that was supposed to make him seem trustworthy. Charlie couldn’t help the smirk that began to form on her lips. She strolled over to him and immediately got to work. 

“Best in the city? My master wanted the best cabbages money could buy, so I’ll have to make sure they’ll pass his inspection first,” she prattled off, circling the somewhat flimsy wooden cart and humming obnoxiously. At first, the cabbage man let her be and allowed her to peruse his collection. Charlie fell into a sort of pattern, where she’d pick up a cabbage, hold it close to her eyes and stare at it for at least a minute before muttering a perfunctory sound of distaste and inspecting another cabbage the exact same way. She threw in the occasional sniff, being sure to make a less-than-appealing face in response. At one point, she even tested his patience by ripping off a cabbage leaf and crushing it in her hand, to, “Hear the crunch and check if it’s fresh.” After that one, seeing the cabbage man’s expression was a reward of its own. But when five minutes turned into twenty-five, he’d very quickly lost what remained of his patience.

“Hey, are you just going to look, or are you buying? I don’t have time for your games,” he complained, crossing his arms and giving her a look that wasn’t appreciated. Charlie had to think quickly of a name that was powerful enough to shut the man up and let her annoy him in peace.

“Hm,” she hummed, lifting her chin to stare down at him. “I’ll be sure to let Master Beifong know how _kind you were_ to allow me to shop at your stand.” Charlie smirked at his expression of genuine shock. She knew that, yes—she was technically threatening his business, even if it was an empty threat. She didn’t care though.

“I would be grateful to have my produce at the table of a Beifong,” he spoke quietly, as if trying to convince himself to put up with the girl for just a little while longer. He stayed silent for a moment, but Charlie was quickly growing bored and began to ask odd questions about the vegetable. 

“When were they planted?” In the background, she heard faint screaming and the sound of rock being destroyed. 

“Huh?”

“Oh, and did you perform the moon ritual on the twenty third day of germination?” More screaming and crashing was heard. 

“I–I'm sorry? What moon ritual?” 

“Unfortunately, the Beifongs only partake in cabbages that have been cleansed in the moon ritual and practice the catholic faith.” Charlie really had a hard time keeping her composure after that one. The screaming grew louder as it neared, and she realized that maybe standing right next to the cart was a bad idea, but it was too late to move. 

In unison, Charlie and the cabbage man shared a glance before looking up. “Oh shit.” 

The box holding three kids and a lemur came straight for her and the cart of ‘sacred cabbages’. They collided with the roof, the force shattering the wood, sending cabbages flying. Unfortunately, Charlie didn’t come out of that one damage-free.

In an instant, Charlie’s face collided with the ground and a sharp pain shot through from her chin. A heavy body lay perpendicular on top of her own, squishing her down and stopping Charlie from pushing herself up. She could still hear Aang laughing from the top of the pile they’d formed. Charlie groaned under the weight of the pile, ending up at the bottom.

“My cabbages!” she heard the man cry out, mourning over his destroyed cart. “You’re all gonna pay for this!”

The crash had captured the attention of the guards who had been standing around nearby. They were quick to jog over to the mess, surrounding Charlie and the group. From above, she heard Aang’s sheepish laughter get cut off by a guard grabbing his arms, holding them tightly behind his back.

Feeling the pressure that held her down dissipate, Charlie began attempting to untangle herself from the pile, struggling to get out from underneath them. She sharply turned her head to look behind her at whoever laid across her back, finding Sokka with his legs in the air, held up by Katara’s back.

“My god, you’re heavy,” she wheezed out, catching the attention of the group. They looked down at her in surprise but didn’t have a chance to respond before they were all grabbed by guards and lifted up. Charlie’s arms were forced behind her back and held in place, then the guard moved around so she was facing the others. For some reason, they promptly gasped when they saw her.

“Are you okay?” Katara asked her, blue eyes filled with worry. Charlie’s eyebrows furrowed together, the stinging on her chin becoming more prominent. 

“Oh, yeah I’m fine,” she told them, looking between the three. “It’s just a scratch, right?”

At that, Charlie noticed their hesitation, and how Sokka’s eyes dipped from her face to her shirt, then back up. In any other instance, Charlie would have been understandably annoyed at that, but when she looked down at her front, she realized why they were so worried. Apparently, the scratch on her chin wasn’t actually a scratch, but more like a gash which bled all down her neck, staining the front of her shirt a dark red. “Ah.”

“Just ‘ _ah’?_ You’re bleeding! Like, a lot,” Sokka spoke up. Charlie shrugged, as much as she could while being detained. The guards didn’t seem to notice her wound, or they simply didn’t care. 

“I’ll live.” 

“I want them all arrested!” the cabbage man suddenly shouted in a fit, pointing towards the group. 

Charlie turned to him, eyes wide with false innocence. “What did I do?”

He promptly glared at her before turning his gaze to the guard holding her arms. “She was in the cart with them, arrest her too!” Charlie’s jaw dropped at the blatant lie. The guard squeezed her wrists together tighter in response, staring down at her with dark eyes.

“What the—” she was cut off by a tug from the guard. Charlie shot a glare at the cabbage man, hissing “I thought we’d bonded.” She was ignored, and the cabbage man stuck up his nose.

“I’m sorry,” Aang said in a small voice, his eyes flitted between her chin and the floor.

Charlie smiled softly at him. “It’s okay, you were just trying to have some fun.”

“Hang on, that’s not fair, we don’t know her!” Sokka argued, trying to pull himself away from the guard.

“Yeah, we don’t even know her name,” Karata added. Charlie decided it was better not to say anything. Although she was apprehensive about being arrested, she knew she would have to stay with their group.

“Tell that to the king,” a guard shot back. He pushed Charlie slightly, causing her to start walking, and the others followed. The rest of the walk to Bumi’s castle was quiet, so Charlie took the opportunity to figure out what she would say to explain herself, hoping that they would believe her. 

At their arrival to the castle, they waited for an audience with the king. The tight grip of the guards never left their wrists, almost cutting off circulation in their hands. She stood to the left of Sokka, squaring her shoulders as much as she could against the guard’s grip. She could feel the stares of the rest of the group on her.

“Do you guys mind?” she huffed out, turning to look at them. They were quick to look away, trying to act as if they hadn’t all been caught in action. She almost did a double take, finally getting a good look at the group. It was odd seeing them in person, and as her eyes drifted across them all, she saw they seemed to have more distinct characteristics than in the cartoon. Sokka’s jaw was more squared, his shoulders broad, and his face defined. Katara looked like a model, her face resembled a statue, with sharp cheekbones and strong nose. Both of the siblings had extremely defined eyes, blue like the ocean during a storm. Aang was also more defined, his cheeks still holding the puffiness of a child, but Charlie could tell he was still growing out of the ‘baby fat’ stage. His limbs were lanky as he was growing into them, but he was still shorter than the rest. Aang's tattoos were prominent on his skin and in his eyes, he had the confidence of a man much older than himself.

By the time Charlie processed their features, the king had entered the throne room. The guards turned to their king, expectant looks on their faces. 

“Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!” the cabbage merchant yelled. Charlie scoffed loudly, garnering his and the King’s attention. “That one first!” he pointed at her. She shot him a quick glare in return as the guards ordered him to be quiet. The king raised an inquisitive eye at Aang, studying the young boy who squirmed under his gaze. 

Given the impression their sentence would take a while, Sokka turned to face Charlie, “So what's that guy got against you? You didn’t even do anything.” 

“Not a clue,” she shrugged innocently, hiding her slight smirk by turning her face away for a moment.

Sokka raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, leaning forward to get a better view of her face. “You sure about that?” he said, noticing the constant glare she was receiving from the cabbage man, and the stronger one that she sent back. “I wanna know what dastardly crime you committed against the man’s cabbages.” 

“I didn’t do anything.”

Sokka gave her an unimpressed look.

“Other than annoy the shit out of him,” Charlie finally admitted with a small shrug, followed by more complaints from the cabbage man in the background. Sokka snuffed a laugh, slightly taken aback at her choice of words. Bumi seemed to have had enough time analyzing Aang and swept his eyes over the rest of the rag tag crew. He halted at Charlie for a split second, smiling as though he knew something no one else in the room could comprehend. 

“Have you made a decision my lord?” the guard holding her asked. 

“Yes. Let’s throw them...” The group of teenagers, except for Charlie, seemed to hold their breath in anticipation. “A feast!” Sokka first looked excited at the mention of food, but his suspicion grew at Charlie’s unchanging expression. 

Sitting between Katara and Aang at the feast was a welcome break from Sokka’s questioning stares. Apparently, food was enough to keep him preoccupied for now. There was a good amount of it too, definitely too much for five people, but she wasn’t complaining. Dishes of exotic food were placed on the long rectangular table, where Bumi sat on the opposite end. 

A guard came and tapped Charlie lightly on the shoulder, a clean shirt in hand. She looked up at him with confusion before remembering her busted chin, so she stood up and followed him to a pristine bathroom. Against one wall was a vanity made from stone, with a polished piece of crystal hanging above the sink like a mirror, and opposite sat a toilet-like structure. It was comforting to see something at least slightly familiar. 

The guard handed her the clean shirt before closing the door behind her, but Charlie knew he stood outside to prevent her from escaping. She took the opportunity to use the bathroom before changing her shirt, but when she turned on the sink, her heart stopped. She tried to reason with herself. It was just a faucet, and the water which flowed through the small opening was controlled. Charlie’s hands shook as she ran them under the stream and soaked her old shirt, using it to wipe the dried blood off her staining her chin and neck. The main gash had scabbed over, so she was careful not to irritate it. She involuntarily flinched every time she touched the damp cloth to her skin, but when Charlie was finally finished, her eyes stung slightly. She waited until she’d pulled herself together just enough to reopen the door, coming face-to-face with the guard. His eyes softened slightly at the sight of the girl, pale skin still stained pink from the blood. Glancing down at her wrists, bruises started to form where he’d held her during the arrest.

“Sorry,” he spoke softly, as if not wanting anyone else to hear the sentiment. She only nodded in response as they reached the dining room again. Charlie offered him a tight-lipped smile as he guided her back into her chair, trying to ignore the curious looks from the three and king who waited for her return. Instead, Charlie looked down at her new shirt, which was a darker shade of green and wrapped slightly tighter around her torso instead of hanging oversized. She was slightly amused at the idea of being on the cover of a magazine with all of her recent outfit changes. 

“Tell me, young bald one,” the king began, looking towards Aang. Charlie held in a laugh, letting a heavy breath escape instead. “Where are you from?”

Aang stared at the king for a moment, unprepared for the question. “Kangaroo Island!” he blurted out too quickly. Bumi nodded and muttered under his breath, accepting the answer.

“I hear that place is really hoppin’!”

Charlie couldn’t help but snort, her laughter being the only thing to break the awkward silence. After a beat, Sokka burst out laughing as well, earning strange looks from Aang and Katara. 

The king let out an exaggerated yawn, stretching his arms. “All of these good jokes are making me tired.”

The corner of Charlie’s lip twitched into a lopsided smile. “You only told one,” she said, watching as Bumi turned his body, as if leaving his seat. Suddenly, he sent a chicken leg flying straight for Aang. Charlie flicked her head up, following the chicken’s trajectory to see Aang airbending the food away from his face, causing it to float in mid-air. She gasped lightly. Unlike in the cartoon, there were no animated markings to show where the air was headed, only the aftereffect of Aang's motion. She was immediately intrigued, a newfound curiosity born. 

“You’re the Avatar,” Bumi stated strongly, pushing his chair out and standing. Aang gasped and dropped the chicken leg, hiding his hands under the table. “Care to explain yourself, Mr. Pippenpaddleopsicopolis?”

Flustered, Aang stood up with his hands raised. He let out a forced laugh, saying “You caught me! I’m the Avatar.” While Aang continued his rambling, Charlie noticed Sokka giving her a hard look after her expression didn’t turn to one of surprise at the supposedly ‘new’ knowledge. 

Katara grabbed Charlie’s wrist, gesturing her head towards the guarded door behind them. On the inside, she was somewhat touched that Katara was trying to help her escape, even if they didn’t know each other. Together, the four started to back away from the table, inching closer to their escape. The guards, however, had another plan in mind. They tilted their scythe-like stick weapons, crossing them over to block the doorway, stopping the four in their steps.

Katara stepped forward, her hands in tight fists by her side. “You can’t keep us here. Let us leave!”

Bumi picked up a green from his plate, holding it up for them to see. “Lettuce leaf?”

Charlie let out another snort, covering her smile with her hand. She saw Sokka give her an unimpressed look, no longer in the joking mood.

She crossed her arms and turned her head away. “What? It was funny.”

They were ordered to be taken to the newly refurbished chamber, but the palace guard led them to a dead end. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Charlie asked with an eyebrow raised. His response wasn’t a spoken one. Instead, he crossed his arms in front of his face, then threw them down by his side, accompanied by a stomp of his foot. The wall in front of them cracked and shrunk into the ground, becoming the opening to the chamber.

“Ohh right. Earthbending,” Charlie muttered under her breath. 

The guard pushed the four into the chamber, promptly resealing the entrance behind them. The room they came to face was nothing like a regular prison. Instead it was a large rounded room made of smooth rock. Glowing green crystals were hanging off the walls, lighting the room, and creating a shine on the polished white floor. Green tarps hung from the high pointed ceiling and sloped down to the top of the walls, creating a softening effect. In the middle of the room, there was a stone with a bowl of assorted fruits and some glasses of water. Around it sat four large beds, all separated and facing outwards in different directions. It was oddly welcoming.

“How is this a prison?” Katara questioned, speaking everyone’s thoughts out loud. “It looks so nice!”

“I kind of imagined prisons to be more… dirty and gross,” Sokka admitted, walking towards one of the beds. The sheets were made of silk, and looked like they had just been cleaned. Charlie considered Sokka’s comment for a moment, realizing that he’d probably never seen a prison before, after living his whole life in the South Pole.

“Well, he did say it was newly refurbished,” Aang responded, setting down his staff against the wall. He and Katara joined Sokka near the center of the room, while Charlie remained near the wall that was once the entrance.

“Nice or not, we’re still prisoners. Don’t let them catch you with your guard down.” Sokka had a point, but Charlie knew more than he did about the ending of their time in Omashu. Bumi wouldn’t actually do anything to permanently harm them, so with that in mind, she could feel more relaxed. 

After a short silence, Aang spoke up, looking away from the group. “I wonder what these challenges will be.” His posture dropped a bit, a sign that he was worried.

Katara noticed too, and started talking about finding an escape, to which Aang pointed out the miniature air vents on the walls. A failed attempt at pushing Momo through the hole left Charlie standing on top of a chair, trying to pull him out.

“It’s useless, there’s no way out,” Sokka said, falling on the bed he claimed as his. 

Katara sighed, putting a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “All we can do now is get some rest.” 

Aang nodded with his eyes downcast, but then quickly looked back up at Katara. “Oh wait, I forgot to ask!” Katara cocked her head, and Sokka sat up to listen closer. “Why is that girl here?”

Three heads turned to Charlie, who was standing on a chair, holding a freed Momo. She pointed to herself with wide eyes. “Yeah, you. Why didn’t you defend yourself more when you got arrested with us?” Sokka demanded with narrow eyes.

“Uhhhhm,” Charlie let out, not having thought about that part of her fake background story. “I had a spiritual calling!” she blurted, with Momo flying out of her grip. “I was given a vision about the future—that I needed to help the Avatar on his mission… or something.” The last part, she’d muttered under her breath.

There was a beat of silence after she finished talking. 

Sokka was the first one to speak again. “Okay, how hard did you hit your head when you fell?”

“You mean, when you fell on me and almost crushed me to death?” Charlie deadpanned.

“Right, sorry about that,” Sokka said sheepishly, his hand coming to rest on the back of his neck.

“But it’s true, I really do know the future.” Convincing all of them was going to be harder than she originally thought. She jumped off the chair, landing on her feet in front of them. “Like—your names, Katara, Sokka and Aang, how would I know that if I didn’t get a vision?” she stated with confidence, holding up her finger strongly. Judging by Sokka’s face, he still had a hard time believing her.

“You probably heard us saying it earlier,” Sokka argued, crossing his arms over his chest. Charlie realized that he had a fair point. 

“Uh. You’re from the Southern Water Tribe?” she stated meekly, not knowing how else to convince them. Mainly, it was Sokka who wasn’t willing to believe her, which made sense. Aang and Katara on the other hand looked more curious than anything, but Charlie knew they wouldn’t trust her until Sokka did.

Her previous statement didn’t seem to do the job of convincing him either, but the point he made in return wasn’t as strong. “That was a lucky guess!”

At this point, Aang decided to step in. He moved in front of Sokka with a friendly smile on his face. “If you know the future—”

“You believe her!?” His exclamation was ignored.

“Then can you help me with the challenges?” Aang finished hopefully, his grey eyes wide. Charlie hesitated for a moment.

“Well, they’re kind of things you’ve gotta do on your own to help prepare you for your future.” At that, Aang looked down, the disappointment clear on his face, causing Charlie to think that perhaps she said the wrong thing. “But I can help with the last one!”

“You can?” he cheered. “That’s great!”

Katara smiled too, walking in front of a pouting Sokka. “Thank you for helping Aang with this.”

“It’s not a problem, the tasks aren’t even that bad!”

Charlie spoke too soon. The next day, a giant creature which looked like a cross between a bull and a bunny was chasing after a screaming Aang. Charlie stood with Katara and Sokka on the balcony, watching from above while her body was being encased in light blue Jennamite.

Katara’s eyes were wide as she tried to look over the green crystal which slowly grew to cover her face. “I thought you said the tasks weren’t bad!” she shouted over the growling and screaming from below, and the maniacal laughter—courtesy of Bumi.

“I should have specified!” she called back, the crystal now thick around her legs. “He survives!” Charlie smiled widely, giving a single nod.

“Right, because we can _so easily trust you_ ,” Sokka said, sarcasm dripping from his words.

The first task Aang had completed relatively quickly after throwing a spike to break the chain holding Bumi’s lunch box key. Charlie didn’t actually see the whole thing, prefering to watch from a distance outside the doorway. That way, she was further away from the water.

The second tasks had ended shortly after, with Aang realizing the giant creature chasing him _was_ , in fact, Bumi’s pet—Flopsy. Aang was quick to jump over to the three. “Are you guys okay?”

“You mean _other_ than the crystal slowly encasing our entire body? Yeah, I’m great!” Katara said, her exaggerated upbeat attitude contributing to the satire.

Just then, another dark blue crystal grew to the left of Sokka’s head, causing him to be unbalanced and topple over, directly into Charlie. She let out an involuntary yelp as she crashed to the floor, the crystal around her body protecting her from the landing. The shape of the outer crystal layer for the two was an unfortunate one, in that each other's grooves caught perfectly on the other’s, causing Sokka to be balanced on top of Charlie.

“Could you stop crashing into me!” she yelled, unable to see his face because of the crystal. Sokka didn’t hesitate before replying.

“It’s not my fault you keep falling for me.” 

“Sokka!” Katara chastised her brother, giving him a glare.

“I swear that one just slipped out, I mean come on, she set it up perfectly.” 

Charlie scowled, trying to move from underneath him, but the crystal rendered her unable. “Yes, Sokka—you’re very funny, now for the love of god could you please. Roll. Off.” She was really hoping this wouldn’t become a recurring event. 

By the third trial, Charlie found herself almost completely covered in the crystal apart from her face. She stood next to Katara and Sokka in a smaller balcony while Aang and Bumi dueled. In reality, it was more one-sided, with Bumi throwing all the punches—or rocks, in this case—and Aang evading them. 

“You thought I was nothing but a frail, old man,” Bumi announced, standing his ground as Aang fell to the floor. “You were wrong! I’m the most powerful earthbender you’ll ever see.”

Charlie scoffed a laugh, muttering, “That’s debatable,” thinking of Toph’s entrance in season two. She didn’t think she had spoken loudly, but apparently, Katara heard her. 

“What was that?” she asked with curious wide eyes, facing Charlie. 

Charlie tensed, letting out a small “Nothing,” before turning away with a waddle. She could hardly move her legs which were held in place by the crystal. Charlie focused her attention on the fight that was occuring in front of her. Aang twisted his body as he ran to avoid the giant rock spikes Bumi was creating by stamping his feet, but couldn’t dodge the last one in time. The rock struck him in the stomach, sending him into the air. It gave him the opportunity to create a spinning ball of air, which he balanced on and used to move around the arena at a faster speed.

Charlie could feel the sibling’s gazes on her back. She realized they were hoping for her to swoop in and save Aang somehow to fulfil her promise. Charlie knew two things at that moment; one, given her current situation of being completely encased in crystal, there was no way she could actually help Aang defeat Bumi. Two, she knew the extent that Aang’s character developed from this fight. This was an important battle for Aang to learn how to attack someone directly, rather than using his air bending to avoid and evade conflict. She knew what Bumi was thinking, that his old friend needed to learn new skills if he wanted to stand a chance in the war. So Charlie simply kept her head facing forwards and waited.

“Uh, hey, fortune teller lady? A little help?” Aang yelped, dodging another one of Bumi’s attacks.

“This isn’t the last challenge, Aang, I’m sorry!” she yelled back, noticing the king send her a confused glance. The distraction allowed Aang to attack for the first time, sending a blast of air directly towards the king, who blocked it with a stone wall. Aang tried to jump over a wave of rock, but was struck down just before he cleared it. Bumi sent a much bigger rock towards Aang, but he cleverly avoided it, not wasting any time in sending another airblast his way. This time, the attack hit its target, and the king went flying into the back wall.

“Hell yeah! Go Aang!” she cheered from the balcony, to which Aang gave her an appreciative smile, and stuck up his thumb. Bumi dug his feet into the floor, grunting as he ripped the entire balcony next to them from the wall. Aang screamed at the sight, using his airbending to create a tornado inside the room. Bumi threw the balcony at Aang, but the tornado had whipped it around, sending it flying back towards the earthbender.

Charlie gave a low whistle, staring at the tornado in awe. She noticed Katara staring too, and decided to say something which would come back again in a future episode. “Damn, that kid is one powerful bender.” Katara nodded in agreement, but didn’t think anything of the statement. Charlie wondered if she’d remember it by the time they met Aunt Wu.

The battle ended in a tie. Aang had Bumi cornered, and the king held a giant rock above the both of them. Suddenly, Bumi had come out of the ground next to Sokka, Katara and Charlie, followed shortly after by Aang. “Well done, Avatar. You’ve passed my tests. Now you must answer one question,” he croaked out, holding up a finger.

Aang stood up straighter. “That’s not fair! I passed your tests, now let my friends go!” Charlie was slightly touched that Aang considered her a friend already.

“Just answer this one question, and you’re free to leave.” Aang nodded sharply, his gaze strong and unbreaking. “What…” the king began, building up the intensity. “... is my name.” Aang’s draw dropped at the question. “From the looks of your friends, I’d say you only have a few minutes.” Bumi then left the room, leaving the four to their thoughts.

“How am I supposed to know his name?” Aang spoke loudly with annoyance, throwing his hands up. He began rambling about the tasks and if they gave any clues.

“Oh, I got it!” Sokka announced, grabbing everyone’s attention. “He’s an earthbender, right? ‘Rocky!’.” No one responded. “Because of the rocks.”

“We’re gonna keep trying, but that’s a good back up,” Katara said before turning back to Aang. 

The airbender then looked at Charlie with hopeful eyes. “You said you could help me with the last test, right?” Charlie nodded, quickly contemplating her options. She could give him a hint and he would work it out for himself, but that wasn’t any fun, and she needed to gain their trust as a psychic.

“Yeah, it’s Bumi.” Aang’s eyes went wide as Charlie bluntly named the king. “Like, your old friend, from a hundred years ago.” 

Sokka cut in, still feeling suspicious about her. “Wait, how can we trust her? She could be making it up!”

“Would you rather we go with _your_ suggestion then?” Charlie teased, raising an eyebrow. “And why— _how_ would I lie about this? It’s crazy specific.”

“Fine,” Sokka said, sticking up his nose. “If it’s wrong, you’re taking the blame.”

Charlie wasn’t wrong.

Sokka huffed as the siblings and Charlie were released from their crystalline prisons. They all took their time stretching out sore limbs, allowing Aang and his old friend to reunite. 

“ _Fine._ ” Charlie mocked naisily, staring straight at Sokka, “ _If it’s wrong, you’re taking the blame._ ” 

“Hey! You totally could have been wrong, who could have known it would be _Bumi_ of all people?” he replied in his own defence, flailing his arms for emphasis.

“Me! I knew! Asshole.” Charlie couldn’t help but laugh at the face he pulled, being a mix of surprise at her bluntness and anger at her snarky reply. Katara was obviously trying to hide her laughter and Aang was already leaving the palace, Bumi in towe. The troublemakers rode the mail chutes one last time as the siblings and Charlie exited the city, hearing a distant cry of, “My cabbages!” 

“Hey, I’m not sure we ever got your name,” Katara admitted, falling into step with Charlie. She thought back on their time together and realised the waterbender was right—Charlie knew their names already, but it had completely slipped her mind to tell them hers.

“Oh true. I’m Charlie, it’s nice to officially meet you,” she introduced herself with a friendly smile and a perfunctory wave, being sure to pronounce her name as clearly as possible. 

“That doesn’t sound like a name from around here,” Sokka said, slightly behind the two girls. Charlie looked over her shoulder to see Sokka’s expression. He didn’t look as suspicious of her anymore, which she took as a good sign. 

Charlie shrugged lightly, looking back ahead of her. “That’s because it’s not. I grew up on a… secluded island,” she lied easily as the siblings listened to her story. “Things are pretty different there. It’s weird being so far away from home.” She spoke truly about the last part.

“I know exactly how you feel,” Katara began, resting her hand on her blue necklace. “This is the first time Sokka and I have been away from home too.” Charlie already knew, but she didn’t want to interrupt the girl during her semi-emotional speech. “The Earth Kingdom is so different from the South Pole, even the people act and talk differently.” She brought up an interesting point that the show never really touched on, and that was speech differences between the nations. For convenience, everyone spoke English—or, was it technically Chinese? But realistically there were probably some inconsistencies in slang and dialect, even if they were minor ones. Charlie wondered if that would be something she encountered.

“So, your ‘spiritual calling’ or whatever,” Sokka spoke up with slight skepticism in his voice. “Does that mean you’re coming with us?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think that’s what I was brought here for.” Charlie couldn’t think of any other reason why she would be transported into the Avatar world other than to make a difference in the story line. She wasn’t just going to sit around the whole time. Charlie’s footsteps haltered for a moment, realising she had probably worded that oddly. “To you guys, I mean,” she clarified, looking between the siblings.

Katara nodded, asking “Is there anyone you need to speak to first? Your parents or something?” The bag Charlie wore around her shoulder felt heavier than before. She gripped the strap tighter, forcing her expression to remain blank. 

“No,” she said darkly, turning her head away. “There’s no one.” She missed Katara and Sokka sharing a glance.

Aang and Bumi eventually caught up to the trio of teens. “Aang, this is Charlie, she’ll be joining us.” Katara explained, packing the remainder of their things up. 

“Cool!” he said with a smile, completely unbothered by the addition of a new member to their team.

Charlie stood stock still as they came to face Appa, who was munching on a pile of hay. Aang was quick to use his airbending to propel himself up on Appa’s head with a graceful twirl.

“Holy shit, he’s so big,” she commented, approaching the bison. Aang blanched at her word choice, he looked to Sokka who simply shrugged his shoulders. Charlie was completely oblivious to their interaction, much more interested in petting the giant animal. She laid her hand between his eyes and smiled softly as he grumbled his approval, licking the side of her face. 

“Charlie, may I have a word with you alone?” Bumi asked politely from behind. She looked at him and nodded carefully, following him a short distance away from the three, just barely out of earshot. “I know you aren’t what you say you are,” he started. Charlie’s eyes immediately shot up to meet him. 

“Wha—How? How do you know?” she asked, stumbling over her words.

He gave her a hearty, cackling laugh. “I’ve been around for quite some time. I know when I’m being lied to.” Seeing Charlie tense, Bumi continued, “Don’t worry, I have no desire to expose your facade, just be careful. Your task will be much harder than you believe. Keep them safe. I fear they are much too optimistic for their own good.” He finished in a quiet tone. It was almost overwhelming seeing him so serious. 

“Do you know why I’m here?” she asked in a rush, the adrenaline of being caught so early pumping through her veins. She was slightly confused, but didn’t have the strength to ask for clarification, wondering if he only knew that she was lying about being a fortune teller, or if he somehow knew she wasn’t from their world. That was impossible though, so she disregarded the latter thought.

“No, Charlie, I don't, but I can tell you that this is your fate now. Destiny can be a funny thing sometimes. I know your mind is strong, and for that you’ll make a great warrior one day.” Charlie quirked a smile, her face heating up at the compliment he gave her, not knowing if it was from flattery or embarrassment. Bumi then reached into his pocket and procured a small pouch, handing it to her. “You’ll also need this for your travels. Farewell, Charlie, I’m sure we’ll meet again soon enough.” Bumi gave her a nod before turning to leave. Charlie watched his walk back towards the city for a moment before looking inside the pouch and finding a bundle of shiny gold coins.

Charlie walked back to the spot where Appa stood. She was still processing what Bumi had said to her. “Welcome to the group, Charlie, we’re glad to have you aboard,” Aang spoke up from his place at the reigns. She nodded kindly at Aang as he boosted her up to the saddle with his airbending. 

“What’d King Coocoo want from you?” Sokka asked, not unkindly. His eyes were full of genuine curiosity. 

“Just something about being a warrior and how this was my calling, to help Aang.” She figured she wasn’t completely lying to them, which lessened the guilt of hiding who she really was. “Oh, and he gave me this,” Charlie said, reaching into the pouch and grabbing a handful of the coins. Sokka let out a strangled gasp as he jumped closer to her, bringing his eyes level with her hand to awe at the gold. She gave a small smirk before continuing proudly, “Yeah, he said I was the most responsible out of you guys and he could only trust me with it.” That one was a blatant lie, but it wasn’t hurting anyone. Plus, she enjoyed starting arguments with Sokka, his reactions making it too entertaining to stop.

“What!? That’s not true!” Sokka exclaimed, sitting up straighter to look at her face.

Charlie smiled smugly, and leant back to prop herself up on the lip of Appa’s saddle with her eyes closed. “Hey, can’t argue with a king,” she said with a shrug, hearing Sokka grumble with disappointment. She opened an eye to peek at him, seeing Sokka cross his arms and pout childishly.

“Alright!” Aang announced, turning to face the three who sat on Appa’s saddle. “First time flyers, hold on tight. Yip yip!” With a flick of his tail, Appa set off for the clouds. Charlie screamed out a laugh as they shot into the sky, the wind blowing in her ginger hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out this link to see a sketch of Charlie about to be crushed by the GAang! https://squirrelnmoose.tumblr.com/post/628163025216618496/a-sketch-of-charlie-in-chapter-2-omashu-about-to


	3. The Hair Tie

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this one's a rock," Charlie drawled out from her position on the ground. She lay on her side, hand propping up her head as she leant on her elbow. With her free hand, Charlie held a small rock between her thumb and pointer finger, which Sokka had mistaken for a nut on his hunt for food. She let go of the rock, letting it drop to the ground with a small thump.

The four had made camp in a small clearing atop a large flat stone surrounded by tall pine trees, allowing the golden sunlight beam through. A small stream of water trickled down the front of the stone and connected to a small river, which Charlie stayed away from, resting at the back of the site. Aang sprawled out on an uprooted tree, his hands behind his head, while Katara folded the blue clothing she'd just finished washing in the stream, having pulled the excess water out to dry it. Sokka sat next to his sister with Momo relaxing on his shoulder after they returned from his search.

Katara looked at the small pile of assorted rocks and nuts spread on the floor with distaste. "Charlie, when do we next find real food?" she asked with a pleading look on her face. Charlie looked away from her fallen pebble and up at the waterbender. "You know, something that _isn't_ rocks," she clarified, shooting a sarcastic smile at her brother.

"Hey! It was only one!" Sokka yelled in his defence, flailing his arms. Charlie chucked at his antics before readjusting her position to lie down on her back. Trying to get comfortable on a slab of stone wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"How should I know?" Charlie said, replying to Katara. She stretched her arms out next to her as Aang jumped off his log and shuffled closer.

"Well, you're a psychic, aren't you? Use your fortune telling abilities!" Aang cheered, not noticing Charlie tense at her slip up.

"Oh, right." She could feel Sokka's suspicious gaze on her and was quick to look over and hold eye contact. "Hey, don't judge, I'm new to this too." It was technically a lie, but it sounded believable enough to her. "And it's not like I can just make a market fall out of the sky."

A loud bang shook the group. Charlie quickly sat up and looked around the forest, trying to find the source of the noise. It was then that she realised that the next episode of the series must have been starting.

"On second thought," Charlie started, remembering the details of the small Earth Kingdom village which had been overrun by the Fire Nation. "There is a market nearby!" A second, louder bang caused the ground to vibrate, making Momo squeal. "And whoever's doing that will take us there," she stated confidently, smiling at the rest of the group.

Katara gasped in realisation, quickly standing up with Aang. "That means no nuts for dinner!"

"Hey, Momo and I worked really hard for those nuts," Sokka moaned in the background, staring defeatedly at the pile left on the ground.

Katara was first to move, followed shortly after by Aang, who shouted, "Let's go check it out!"

"Right, let's just run _towards_ the creepy loud noise in the forest, because that's obviously the most reasonable option here," Sokka drawled out, but the others were already too far away to hear him. "Aaaand they're gone." Charlie chuckled at him and stood up, brushing dust off of her pants. She gestured her head in the direction of the sound where Aang and Katara had run off towards.

"Come on, Sokka, would you really prefer nuts over meat?" Charlie asked, smiling at the conflicted boy left mourning over his failed attempt at foraging.

"You make a good point," he said while standing up, arms weak by his side. "Let's go." The two quickly caught up to Aang and Katara, who had taken a position hiding behind a fallen tree trunk. Charlie and Sokka squatted beside the two, peeking over the log to see a guy earthbending rocks around him. Charlie recognised him as Haru from early on in season one.

Haru stomped his right foot on the ground simultaneously with an uppercut, lifting the large stone out of the ground. Shifting his weight, he slowly dragged the stone through the air around him before throwing it into the adjacent wall with a palm strike.

"Wow," Katara gasped out at the sight, the force of the collision sending a shock wave through their bodies.

Aang turned to face her with a bright smile. "Let's go meet him," he suggested, Momo purring in agreement from his shoulder.

"No wait," Sokka stated, holding his arm out to stop Aang from jumping ahead. "We don't know him, he could be dangerous."

Charlie shook her head, disagreeing. "No, he's safe. His name is Haru, he's an earthbender, but his town is overrun by the Fire Nation army so we don't want to freak him out," she said, leaning over Sokka to look at the others. Only, Katara wasn't squatting next to Aang anymore.

"Hello, Haru! I'm Katara!" A friendly voice chirped ahead of them. Simultaneously, the three turned to look at the source, finding Katara standing in front of Haru. Charlie smacked her palm on her forehead. Some things would never change.

The group watched as Haru gasped softly, quickly turning on his heels and bolting away, but not before creating a small avalanche with a wave of his arms.

From his spot behind the log, Aang jumped next to Katara with a twist of airbending, calling out "Nice to meet you!"

"Katara!" Sokka yelled, running after his sister. Charlie lagged slightly behind the group with Momo balancing on her hair. "What was that!?"

She shrugged innocently, looking at her brother with wide eyes. "I just wanted to say hi."

"Did you miss the part where I said his town had been taken over by the Fire Nation?" Charlie said, cocking up an eyebrow. With a sheepish smile, Katara rubbed the back of her neck. "He's obviously gonna be scared that we'd rat him out for earthbending."

"We wouldn't do that though." Aang looked at her with his wide grey eyes.

Charlie threw her arms in the direction of the avalanche. "Clearly, he doesn't know that." She wiggled her hands for emphasis.

"I just wanted to say hi," Katara said, staring after the earthbender.

"Well, congratulations," Sokka deadpanned. "Now he's gone."

Charlie signed, realising Haru had gone a lot further in his escape than in the tv show, and finding him could prove to be slightly more difficult. "Come on, I'm sure if we follow this trail, we'll find his village." The three nodded as Charlie walked ahead of them, starting to climb the unsteady pile of rocks. A few pebbles fell to the ground as her weight shifted the balance of the pile, but once she had made it to the top, Charlie managed to slide down the other side easily, landing crouched on the floor. Katara, on the other hand, caught a lift from Aang who'd used his airbending to propel the both of them over, leaving Sokka to grumble and get himself past the pile alone.

The four walked through the ravine, following a small trail of water as it extended into a slightly bigger stream, which Charlie was careful to stay away from. The town it led them to was tiny, just a handful of green-topped buildings surrounded by four walls, watchtowers in each corner. The village sat at the bottom of a mountain so tall that it's tip was covered in a light layer of snow. The group was slightly ahead of her as she looked around the town in semi-amazement. Everything was so much prettier than in her own world now that she could appreciate the architectural details in-person.

"Okay, we should split up in pairs to find him, we can cover more ground that way," Sokka suggested, taking in the village. However, before Aang and Katara turned to leave, Charlie spoke up.

"Wait, this village is tiny, everyone would know each other. Why don't we just ask someone?" she said, taking a quick look around. The town was somewhat quiet, but that was more so a result of the small population. A few groups of people formed around shop fronts where they sold and bought fruits and vegetables, wearing light green tunics and conical bamboo hats.

"Hang on, what if your _psychic powers_ were wrong?" Sokka questioned. "What if his name isn't Haru?"

A nearby worker perked up at the mention of the name. "Oh, you're looking for Haru?" he asked, catching the attention of the group. "He's in that shop over there." The man pointed at one of the smaller buildings just further ahead of them.

Aang let a wide smile grow on his face as he looked at the man. "Thanks!" he cheered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small bundle of the nuts Sokka had collected earlier. "Here, have some nuts."

Charlie snuffled a laugh at his antics. The man ended up trading him a conical hat for the nuts, which Aang was quick to tie on his head with a light-hearted laugh. Charlie had turned to look at Katara, but found she'd gone off ahead again and was already walking through the door of Haru's shop.

Charlie groaned at the fast pace Katara led, getting Aang and Sokka's attention. They saw her staring after Katara and quickly ran after her into the store. Charlie whistled to get the attention of the two boys who were laughing over Aang's new hat. She gestured to the door where Katara had disappeared through, letting out a chuckle when Aang and Sokka quickly ran to follow the waterbender. After they'd gone inside, Charlie made her entrance too, standing next to the group.

"Mom, I don't know what they're talking about! They must be crazy, I mean, look how they're dressed." Haru threw his hands out, gesturing to the three. The three subconsciously looked over their clothing.

"Well, that's not exactly solid reasoning," she muttered out.

"Haru, you know the dangers of earthbending. Please, you must be more careful next time." She put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile, her worry lines prominent. Charlie could hear heavy footsteps headed in their direction from outside the shop.

"Guys, Fire Nation incoming," she announced, gesturing her thumb to the window behind her. Immediately, the three teens went to act natural by freezing in place—very unnaturally, while Charlie slid next to Haru. His mother tentatively went to open the door, her hand shaking. As soon as she did, the soldier stormed in.

Charlie turned to Haru. "So. The weather." The boy gave her a weird look, but she only shrugged casually in response. "You think _their_ version of 'acting natural' is more believable?" she whispered under her breath, taking a glance and the other three in the store. Sokka stared at an apple he'd picked at with an exaggerated face of contemplation, Katara stuffed her mouth full of berries, and Aang leant on a barrel of water, which promptly gave away under the weight of his arm.

"We've already paid our taxes for this quarter," Haru's mother spoke up, her voice only slightly wavering.

"Well, it's being collected again. And we wouldn't want an accident to occur, you know how unpredictable fire can be." The soldier tried to circle a small flame in his hand.

"And here I was thinking that a Fire Nation soldier would have control of their own fire. _Sir_." Charlie drawled out, leaning her elbows on the bench behind her. She felt all eyes snap to her.

"Watch your tone, girl," the soldier growled out, stepping closer to her with a clenched fist.

"I'm just saying, you should consider practicing. Between collecting taxes and all." Charlie knew that she was antagonising the man, but she couldn't help it. Maybe it was her inability to respect authority becoming prevalent, or maybe it was just the fact that she hated this guy—with good reason, of course.

The guard only glowered at her in response. He turned on his heels to face Haru's mom. "Rent's doubled. Pay up," he ordered in a deep tone. He left the store with a hand full of coins, tossing the unwanted ones back on the floor, where they rolled to Charlie's feet.

"What the hell was that?" Sokka demanded, rushing up to her.

"What was what?" she asked, kneeling down to pick up the coins. She placed them on the bench behind her, before turning back to face the teen.

"Don't play dumb, Charlie, and don't ever do that again," Sokka ordered. "They could have arrested you for that!" He gestured in the direction of the soldiers. "You could have endangered everyone in this town!"

"At least I did something," she shot back with a glare starting to form on her face.

"Well next time—don't. Just be quiet."

"Why? You were being quiet enough for the both of us."

Sokka growled in frustration before storming out of the store. Charlie stayed behind, but left soon after, not wanting to be around people for a while. Instead, she sat by the front gate of the village, dragging a stick through the dirt until she saw the other's walk out with Haru, coming to meet her. Sokka had rejoined them too from wherever he'd disappeared to.

Haru led the group outside the walls of his town where they found Appa lying down by the entrance. "Hey, buddy!" Aang said, rubbing the fur between his eyes. Haru gasped, staring at the giant, fluffy being.

"What is _that?_ " he asked in shock.

Aang gave a light laugh at the look on his face. "This is Appa, my flying bison."

"Wow, he's amazing," Haru admitted as Appa grumbled his approval.

"Thanks! He thinks so too."

Together, they hiked up the mountain behind the town, following Haru who walked ahead of them, until they came to a small barn behind an even smaller house. "My mom said you all can stay here for the night, but you'll have to leave in the morning," Haru said, pushing the barn doors open. Appa was the first to bound his way in, making a beeline for the haystacks in the corner.

"I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all of your hay," Aang promised, watching the bison freeze with a mouthful of hay and stare as if he'd been caught.

"Katara," Haru began, turning to look at the water bender. "Do you mind if we talk for a while?"

Katara nodded, eyes slightly widened with surprise. "Of course! Let's go outside."

The pair left the barn, leaving Charlie, Sokka and Aang sitting in an awkward silence for a few minutes, the sound of Appa chewing filling the barn.

"So," Aang started, turning on the ball of his foot to face Charlie. "What are they talking about?"

Charlie cocked an eyebrow. "Wow, Aang, you're not subtle at all." Of course, she was referring to his crush on the girl, deducing that Aang was probably feeling some kind of minor jealousy, even if he didn't realise it. And judging by his confused expression—he didn't. "Never mind. They're just talking about his dad and stuff. Then Haru uses his earthbending to save some guy."

Maybe she shouldn't have been telling them so much, but whatever higher power put her in the Avatar universe did so with the intent that she'd actually use her knowledge, right? Charlie justified that she was only telling them minor details, things that wouldn't change the story dramatically so she'd still have the advantage of knowing the plot.

"It sure is helpful having a psychic on the team," Aang said with his signature smile. Charlie's lip twitched slightly in return, offering him an awkward pat on the head, which, in hindsight, probably would have been more normal if he had hair. Aang seemed unbothered by it, the grin not leaving his face as he bounced off towards Appa, jumping onto his back with a gust of wind.

"Yeah, it's _so_ helpful," Sokka drawled from his seat on a pile of hay bales, arms crossed over his chest.

Charlie shot him a weird look. "What's your problem, Shark Boy? You're snappier than usual today." Sokka shot her a glance, his eyebrows furrowed, clearly not having understood her reference. He shook his head slightly, ignoring the last part of her comment.

"Nothing, just that psychics aren't _real_ or anything so you could be making half of this stuff up for all we know." Charlie's eye twitched. On the inside—deep inside—she had to agree, knowing the whole 'fortune teller' ruse was just that; a ruse. She wasn't a real fortune teller, she was just a person who happened to know the future. There was a difference. However, on the outside, Charlie was growing irritated at his inability to trust her, despite giving Sokka more than enough proof that she knew the future.

"Oh, so Aang being stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years is more believable?" she shot at him, shifting her weight onto one leg and mirroring his crossed arms with her own.

Aang perked up from Appa's back. "Wow, you know about that?"

"Yes, Aang, I know about that."

"That's Avatar stuff," Sokka defended, waving his hand dismissively. "That doesn't count."

"This is Avatar stuff too." Charlie stepped closer to him. Sokka jumped off the hay. "I'm telling Aang's future, aren't I? By your logic, you should believe me."

"Why should I? I don't know you."

"Aang believes me."

"Aang believes everyone, he's twelve."

"Your sister believes me."

"She's too trusting, it's a personality fault."

"I'm not too sure _she's_ the one with the personality fault—"

Aang jumped in between them. "Woah, guys, maybe we should all calm down a little," he mediated, looking back and forth between the two.

Charlie let her stare drop away from Sokka, her expression softening as she looked at Aang's worried face. "You're right. We've been up all day, let's just get ready to sleep." Charlie turned away to face Appa. She pulled herself up onto Appa's saddle where all of their belongings were tied down. Loosening the strings, she grabbed her bag of clothes, deciding to use it as a pillow, not having a sleeping bag like the others.

"That's a great idea!" Aang spoke up again in his overly-enthusiastic voice.

However, his words caused Sokka to scoff out a 'tch'. Charlie's eye twitched, her hand already on Sokka's sleeping bag. "Thanks, Aang, it _is_ a great idea!" She held the blue bundle close to her chest and turned to the unaware water tribe boy before pulling her arm back. "Here you go, Sokka." With a windup of her arm, she launched the sleeping bag straight at him, smirking at the flail and angry growl she caused as it collided with his back.

"Charlie!" Sokka shouted, whipping around to face the girl who wore a black expression.

"My bad," she said in a monotonous voice. "I thought you were looking."

Just as Sokka went to retort, Katara and Haru came back through the barn doors, hesitating as if they could sense the energy of the room.

"Uhm, is everything okay in here?" Katara asked.

Charlie and Sokka only grumbled out a response as Aang lied, "Yeah, everything's great!"

After a moment of silence, Katara reluctantly accepted their responses, walking further into the barn to help unpack.

"Hey Charlie, can I speak with you outside?" Haru asked, standing oddly by the door. She looked back at the teens who were busy talking while setting up their belongings for the night. She turned towards Haru with a nod, before following him outside the barn, just out of earshot. "So, Katara told me you're a fortune teller," he began. "She said that's how she knew my name. Anyway, I was just wondering if you knew how my dad was doing?"

"Oh!" she said with surprise, not having expected the question. To assist the lie, Charlie closed her eyes in mock concentration, really just attempting to remember the details of the episode. "He's still in prison, but everyone looks up to him as their leader. They don't think they can escape and are waiting for the war to be over. He's been safe so far, everyone has just been complying with the warden," she explained.

"Thank you so much, Charlie. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. Do you know when I'll see him again?"

"I hate to be this vague, but you will see him sooner than you think," she said, clapping a hand on his shoulder in a way that was supposed to be comforting, but ended up coming across slightly awkward. He nodded and thanked her as she took her hand back. "Well. Night," she announced, turning swiftly on her heel and offering him a thumbs-up.

Back inside the barn, Charlie found that Katara and Sokka had already prepared their sleeping bags. Aang didn't have one, but he lay on top of Appa's head, buried in his fur. Katara had made herself a space on the floor, while Sokka took all four hay bales for himself.

"It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man," Katara said softly, the glow of the lamp she held illuminating her features.

"You must have really inspired him," Aang added, his arms hanging off the side of Appa's head.

"I guess so."

Sokka turned to face the rest of the group. "We should all get some rest. We're leaving at dawn," he announced, letting his eyes flicker to Charlie who still stood by the door. "Unless _Charlie_ has some other plan." He flopped back down on his make-shift bed, turning his back to her again.

Charlie's gaze shot to him with a surprised stare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." His bluntness came as a shock to her, but she had to admit to herself that it wasn't unjustified. She'd definitely riled him up, and perhaps pushed a little harder than she should have, but she was still at a loss to what had caused him to snap in the first place. Charlie had done nothing but try to help the group so far. She decided it would be best if she dropped it, and hoped their argument wouldn't extend into the next day.

"Charlie, you can sleep on Appa for the night, until we get you a sleeping bag," Aang offered, gesturing towards the bison's back. She quirked her lips into a smile.

"Thanks, Aang." Before she went to climb onto him, Charlie had a thought. She turned towards Katara and asked, "Can I borrow a hair tie?" Seeing the odd look Katara gave her, she added, "I don't sleep with my hair down."

"Oh, sure," she said sitting up, reaching into the end of her braid. "You can use this one." Katara held out her dark blue hair tie, made of an inch-wide elastic.

Charlie reached over and took it with a small "Thanks" before flipping over her head and tying her messy orange locks up in a short ponytail. After, she was quick to climb onto Appa and call it a night.

Katara was the first to wake up the next morning. She left to get them water, but returned in a state of panic. "They took him! They took Haru," she shouted, putting a hand on her head.

Sokka and Aang stood up quickly, running over to Katara, while Charlie glanced down with slight guilt. She knew Haru would get his happy ending, but she still felt uncomfortable knowing she could have stopped him from being taken. She felt stuck in a cycle.

"What?" Aang gasped out.

"The old man—he turned him into the Fire Nation for earthbending! It's my fault, I forced Haru to do it." Katara's eyes were full of sorrow, looking increasingly overwhelmed as she realised how her actions affected Haru's life. "They took him in the middle of the night."

Sokka's gaze shot to Charlie. "Did you know?" he demanded with a strong expression. Charlie balled her fists.

"I know that we'll get him back, _and_ his dad," she stated more as a promise to Katara than anything else.

Sokka shook his head. "There's no way we can track him. He's long gone."

Katara broke away from the group and walked towards the barn doors, staring out over the mountains. "We don't need to track him." She placed a hand on her necklace. "The Fire Nation is going to take me straight to Haru."

After Katara explained her plan to them, the four hurried to the mine shafts where most of the Fire Nation guards were stationed to keep an eye on the workers. Charlie didn't have much of a role, so she squatted down behind a rock next to Aang, deciding she would make sure he got his cue on time, unlike in the show.

"Out of my way, pipsqueak," she heard Sokka utter in an unnaturally deep voice.

"How dare you call me pipsqueak, you giant-eared cretin?" Charlie muffled a laugh as Katara continued on about Sokka's ears.

"That's it, you're going down," Sokka announced in an unbelievably bland tone. She really didn't know how the Fire Nation soldiers could believe his terrible acting.

"I'll show you who's boss," Katara stated, winding up her arms. Charlie took a moment to flick Aang behind the ear, talking his attention away from the yellow butterfly he was playing with. "Earthbending style!"

Aang gasped, realising his queue had arrived, and leaped into the air before thrusting his hands downwards, blowing a stream of air into the air vent which lifted the rock in front of Katara.

"That lemur—it's earthbending!" one of the soldiers announced.

Charlie's head popped up from behind the rock. "What!?" Underneath the rock that hovered in the air stood Momo, arms raised as he groomed himself. She'd honestly forgotten about that. "Are you guys kidding me!" she said to the soldiers, leaving her spot behind the rock and picking up Momo with one hand.

"You idiots, it's the girl!" Sokka exclaimed, flailing his arms in Katara's direction.

"Oh. Of course," the guard admitted sheepishly, his face drooping slightly. With her free arm, Charlie grabbed onto Katara.

"We'll hold her," Charlie said as the guards came closer. Sokka was quick to follow along, grabbing his sister's shoulders. He whispered the plan to her just before the guards pulled her away, leading her towards the dock.

When they were far enough away, Sokka turned to the two. "Let's get to Appa quick, so we don't lose them."

Charlie tensed up a bit at the implication that she'd have to fly over the water—something she wasn't yet ready for. "You guys go ahead. I'm gonna stay here and update Haru's mom."

Aang nodded enthusiastically. "Good idea. I hope she isn't too mad at us, since it was kind of our fault he was taken away," he said with a conflicted look on his face.

"I'm sure she'll be grateful once he's back. You guys should hurry and get to the dock now," Charlie replied, giving Aang a pat on the back.

The boys were quick to leave after that, so Charlie traveled back to the four walls of the small village. She walked through the quiet town, looking for the shop Haru's mother owned. Upon finding it, she knocked on the door softly, waiting for a reply before stepping in. His mother opened the door with a smile that didn't reach her puffy eyes.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, voice cracking. Charlie bit her lip, slightly uncomfortable under the woman's gaze.

"I just wanted you to know that the girl—Katara—she got captured as well to rescue Haru and his dad. I thought I'd let you know." After a moment of silence where the woman averted her gaze to the floor, Charlie nodded before turning to leave.

She remained in the barn until the boys returned with Appa, having tracked the location of the Fire Nation prison. Charlie suggested a small supply run, considering they'd likely be leaving straight after their rescue. Sokka muttered his agreement, mentioning their need to stock up on food again. Aang just seemed happy that they were doing something together.

As they walked through the town again, Charlie could feel tension flowing from the boys in waves. She knew they were both worried about Katara, so she figured letting them know what was happening wouldn't be too terrible. "Katara met Haru's dad and gave an inspirational speech to the prisoners, but they didn't listen to her." Charlie spoke out of nowhere, causing the boys to stop in their tracks.

"You mean, one of Katara's speeches didn't work? What a surprise," Sokka said dryly, dropping dried meat into their basket while holding eye contact.

"Can't work all the time." Charlie said with a shrug and small grin, which Aang immediately returned. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sokka's lips twitch slightly upwards.

"We should get you a sleeping bag, Charlie," Aang said, passing a cart that sold bedding pelts. "And some more snacks."

"Are you sure we should be wasting our money on a new sleeping bag?" Sokka started with a slight smirk. Charlie's jaw slacked in slight shock and offence. "Aang seems to manage without."

"You're right, Sokka," she said, confusing him for a second. "I'll just take yours instead."

"If you're really psychic, you'd know that's _not_ happening," Sokka drawled out, growing increasingly agitated.

"You're denser than I thought you were if you're still doubting me. And if that's the case, you definitely won't be needing your pillow either, considering your _skull_ is thicker than the ground," she quipped back, tapping her own head to exaggerate.

"Good one, Charlie!" Aang said childishly with his signature laugh, handing two copper pieces to the merchant who passed back a green bundle. Aang passed it to Charlie who promptly inspected the soft material.

"Come on, we should get some sleep before we go to rescue Katara's boyfriend," Sokka said with an eye roll, heading back for the barn. She laughed, seeing Aang make a face at that.

When the sun set, Charlie internally groaned, realising they'd have to travel over open water. She knew she'd have to face her fear at some point, but she hadn't given herself nearly enough pep-talks beforehand. The three loaded Appa up and took off from the barn, giving her just enough time to slow her breathing into a meditative state as they reached the ocean. Charlie stayed bundled in the back of Appa's saddle, never once looking over the edge to see the sea below them. If the boys noticed her shaking, they didn't say anything. Even if they had, she would have blamed the cold breeze.

When they reached the island prison, Aang jumped off to find Katara, while Charlie and Sokka remained flying just out of view below the deck. When the waterbender rejoined them, she was quick to demand that they stay to save the earthbenders. In the end, Appa flew off alone, leaving the group in the prison. Hiding behind wooden supply crates, Aang suggested they make a hurricane to distract the warden.

"He'd run away, and we could steal his keys!" The three teens deadpanned at Aang.

"Great suggestions there, Aang, really some valuable input," Charlie drawled out sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as the joke went straight over his head. "But we have another idea."

"We do?" Katara cocked her head.

"We do." Charlie pointed to the peak of the prison, where air vents let out a thick, black smoke. "They're burning coal. In other words—"

"Earth," Aang finished with a gasp.

They drafted the plan, taking inspiration from Sokka's trick in the village which got Katara arrested. Aang used airbending to push the coal through the air vent, leading straight to the base of the island prison. After some good convincing from Katara, the earthbenders used the coal to their advantage to take over the island. While the original trio helped Aang, Charlie stayed back, knowing her limits. She wasn't trained in any martial arts or self-defence like they were, and knew her involvement would make her a liability. Instead, she kept a careful eye on Katara—or more specifically, her necklace.

After they rid the prison of the fire nation guards, Charlie noticed the blue ribbon come loose and fall to the floor unnoticed. She stared at it for a second, knowing Zuko needed to use it to track down Katara later on. That wouldn't be happening this time around.

Charlie picked it up and held the ribbon between her fingers as she used her free hand to remove the Water Tribe hair tie from her messy ponytail, which she'd neglected to return. At eye-level on the spiked metal gates, next to where the necklace fell, Charlie wrapped the thick elastic twice around.

She let her features relax, noticing her eyebrows had furrowed, before turning around with a fake smile. "Katara! You dropped this." Charlie hung the necklace between the pads of her fingers.

The waterbender gasped, her hand shooting to her bare neck. "Oh no! I didn't even realise." She rushed to Charlie and tied the necklace back on, fastening it tightly. "Thank you so much."

"Don't even worry about it, Katara."

Later that evening, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation stepped onto the abandoned prison, his features set with a grimace. Word of the outbreak had traveled fast, but not fast enough. The Avatar was long gone, leaving no indication of where he was heading, yet again. He looked out to the sea, amber eyes settling on the spiked gates blocking the horizon.

A thick blue elastic was wrapped around the spike, unmistakably from the Water Tribe. There was only one single waterbender he could think of, and she was traveling with the Avatar.

He hesitated in taking it, one question plaguing his mind as he stared at how tightly it clung to the metal. Why would she purposely leave it somewhere it could easily be found?

**Soundtrack**

Don't Make Me A Target by Spoon || The Gaang realise that the ship has coal on it, to the end of the chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a sketch of Charlie at the start of the chapter!
> 
> https://like-islands.tumblr.com/post/628616962412576768/charlie-in-the-start-of-chapter-3-of-koete-yeah


	4. The Cave

They'd only been flying north for half a day when the bickering started. It began from a passing comment by Charlie about needing to use the bathroom but quickly escalated once Sokka had said, "Why don't you use your _psychic powers_ to find one?"

Katara and Aang groaned in unison. Aang, sitting on Appa's neck, threw himself back so he was lying flat, while Katara flopped over the front of his saddle to share a look with the airbender.

"It's fortune telling, Sokka, not a compass."

"If you're so all-knowing, you should have a better idea of where you're going."

"Are you seriously bringing up my inability to read a map right now?"

"It just seems a little suspicious that you tried to lead us in the wrong direction."

"How was I supposed to know I was holding it wrong?"

"The writing was upside down!"

"Well, _excuse me_ for not knowing how to read Chinese."

"Who doesn't know how to read?"

"Lots of people, probably!"

A loud grumble from below silenced them, and from the sound of it, it was Appa's way of telling them to 'shut up'. As if he could understand the bison, Aang turned from his position at the reigns to look at Sokka and Charlie, who sat opposite of each other at the back of Appa's saddle.

"Appa's right, you guys," he began, catching the attention of the two older teens. "We should land for a while, we've been flying too long and it's making everyone act weird."

Katara, still leaning over the front of the saddle, muttered, "Yeah, no kidding," from the corner of her mouth.

They flew down to a clearing in the forest where the trees weren't as tall or thick. They all started unbraiding Appa's fur from the loops in his saddle before Aang used his airbending to lift it off.

The four took some time to stretch out their muscles before Aang, Katara and Sokka raced to the waterside for a quick bath. Charlie stayed on the shore, a light shudder in her breath as the soft waves of the lake brushed against the dirt. Momo flew from behind and perched on her shoulder, sending a sympathetic purr in her direction as he nudged his head against hers.

"Hey, what can I do to start setting up camp?" Charlie called out to the three, cupping a hand over her mouth.

"Can you go find some firewood?" Aang replied with a smile on his face. Charlie nodded and gave the airbender a thumb up before disappearing behind the forest line with Momo. Her shoulders sagged slightly with a sigh of relief as she put distance between the water and herself.

When Charlie was far enough away, Aang shifted in the water to face Katara. "I wonder why Charlie didn't get in the water with us," he said, watching Katara practice her waterbending. With open palms, she brought her right hand into a slow middle block, and pulled her left back by her side. A small tendril of water raised from beside her, moving forward as she twisted her wrist, facing her palm away from her body.

"Maybe she just didn't need to bathe?" Katara responded, letting the water fall back into the lake. Sokka looked back at the forest's edge where the girl disappeared in contemplative thought for a moment before pushing his legs off the lake's floor to float on his back, limbs sprawled out lazily.

Charlie wandered around the forest, being careful not to stray too far away from the campsite. She could still hear the three laughing as they splashed each other in the lake, and Sokka's comedic shout after a significantly louder slosh of water.

Momo leaped off her shoulder and glided to a nearby tree, trilling at the strange birds. As she walked on, the lemur followed closely behind her, catching up when she strayed too far. Charlie kneeled to the ground and picked up a thin fallen branch, holding it up for him to see.

"What do you think, Momo?" she asked as he perched on the tree leaves. "Is this campfire-worthy?"

Momo chattered in response, having no idea what she was saying.

"Yeah it's probably fine, wood is wood."

After what felt like twenty or so minutes of picking up loose twigs and branches, the laughter died down, signalling to Charlie that they'd all finished up in the lake. After making her way back to the campsite, Momo flew from her shoulder and on to Aang's, where the three were still drying off from their bath. Unfortunately, the freshwater did nothing to cool Sokka's quickly growing impatience at the girl.

Charlie dropped the pile on the ground next to their belongings, and she was quick to notice Sokka staring at her with his mouth hanging open slightly, his voice cracking as he let out an almost offended gasp.

"What?" she asked with a frown, scratching at her forehead.

"What is _that_?" Sokka asked with frustration building up in his voice, both of his hands gesturing wildly towards the pile of sticks on the ground.

"The firewood?" Charlie was slightly taken aback, and somewhat confused by his tone.

"That's not firewood," he countered with an eyebrow raised. "Those are twigs."

A loud, involuntary scoff forced its way out of her mouth. "And?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "It's wood. You set it on fire and it burns. Sounds like firewood to me."

At this point, Katara and Aang had dropped their rolled-up sleeping packs to stare defeatedly at the two as another debate sparked between them.

"Seriously, Charlie, this stuff will burn through in less than five minutes."

"Then I'll get more when it does. Why's it bother you so much?"

"It wouldn't bother me, if you weren't so bad at collecting firewood."

"How the _hell_ could I be bad at collecting firewood?"

"You tell me! You did it all wrong."

"What!? It's literally just picking up sticks!" Charlie gestured in the general direction of the pile that sat on the ground, watching as Momo bounded over to it and grabbed a twig to entertain himself with.

"No, it isn't! The wood has to be dry or the fire won't catch, and you have to look for thick pieces, or it'll die out," he explained, completely exasperated.

"Fine, then _you_ can go get the firewood and _I'll_ see if there's any fruit around." Charlie forced herself to take slow, deep breaths, the stinging sensation of her nails digging into the skin of her palms keeping her grounded.

"You probably won't do that right either," Sokka complained, crossing his arms. "Just sit down," he muttered, waiting for her reply. However, he was instead met with a short silence.

Charlie pressed her lips together into a thin line and nodded. "Fine," she murmured, watching as Sokka's eyes widened slightly with delayed realization of his words. "I'll go _sit down_ , away from you. I'll see if I can find any food while I'm gone," she stated, turning to walking away from the group, purposely avoiding eye contact with the others. Palms still stinging from the pressure of her nails, she entered the meadow again before leaning against a tree and sliding down.

The three watched as Charlie went off on her own again. "Sokka, that kind of harsh," Katara admitted with an admonishing tone, a slight frown on her lips.

"Yeah, Charlie has only been helping us since she joined," Aang piped up from his spot beside Appa.

"I don't need you to tell me that, Katara—I get it, okay?" Sokka insisted, holding up his hand in their direction. He stared at the pile of twigs on the ground for a moment before letting out a sigh and going after Charlie.

"Jeez, they need to calm down," Aang admitted, looking to the sky for patience.

"I don't know what's gotten into Sokka lately. I guess he's just stressed out," Katara said, collecting the lake water in a metal pot. "Does stew sound good?"

Aang nodded and looked back over at the waterbender. "Do you think we should go after them?" he wondered, letting Momo jump into his lap.

"No," Katara said with a shake of her head. "I'm sure they'll sort out their issues eventually. We'll just wait for them to come back."

In the forest, Charlie remained under a three, one leg sprawled in front of her, and the other bent to prop up her elbow. She needed a breather after arguing with Sokka again. She expected Aang or Katara to show up and apologise for him with a lame excuse about being stressed and that she should forgive him. Only, Charlie knew that it wouldn't be true. At this point in the tv show, Sokka had already cleaned up a good deal of his act regarding misogyny, and his contempt towards Aang pretty much disappeared after the second episode. She knew he had no real reason to be acting the way he did, and was smart enough to conclude that it was simply her presence that was setting him off.

After hearing footsteps heading in her direction, she looked over with curiosity, but her eyes fell flat when she saw Sokka push his way past a tree branch towards her, his club in hand. "What now, Sokka? Making sure I don't pick berries wrong?" she deadpanned, letting her cheek rest against her hand.

"Well, I _was_ coming to make sure you were okay, but you seem fine to me." Charlie raised an eyebrow at him, noticing the slight contempt in his voice. "So you can just keep sitting there, enjoying the weather under your little tree, and I'll go get the food," he said in a childishly demeaning tone. He waved his hand behind him as he strolled over to the mouth of a small cave nearby.

"You're kidding right? You're acting like an asshole," Charlie spoke up, scrambling to stand up and follow him into the dark cavern.

Sokka flung around to face her, causing a hesitation in her step. She stood under the mouth of the cave. "What did you just call me?"

"An _asshole,_ Shark Boy. Do you know what that means?"

"Of course I know what it means!"

"Then why'd you ask?" Sokka didn't answer her question, instead turning on his heels to walk further into the cave. "Real mature," she drowned out. "I'm just trying to work out what your problem with me is."

"Don't act so innocent about it," he demanded, heading deeper into the cave. "Ever since you got here, you've been challenging every word I say! And on top of that, we've had to teach you how to do everything and you still don't get it right."

" _Teach_ me? You haven't taught me anything, you just yell at me every time I do something wrong." Charlie walked further into the cave after him.

"Who doesn't know how to read a map? Or collect firewood?"

"I told you already, we don't do that stuff where I'm from."

"And where would that be, Charlie?" Her breath hitched. Usually, Aang or Katara would be on the side lines, mediating their arguments so they wouldn't spiral out of hand, but they weren't here this time, and Sokka continued, completely unfiltered. "You haven't actually told us anything about yourself. Sure, Aang and Katara trust you—and you've had some lucky shots with your guesses—but fortune tellers _aren't real_."

As if on cue, there was a rumble that echoed throughout the cave before Charlie had a chance to respond. "What was that?" Charlie asked, her voice low, looking upwards at the curved roof of the cave despairingly.

Sokka turned towards her, his face dropping when he saw Charlie in clear distress. She looked at the mouth of the cave, which now stood a good fifteen yards away from them both. Another rumble shook the ground, making Charlie crouch down in attempts to regain balance, and Sokka to stumble as dirt came loose from the ceiling, falling downwards on top of them. She heard Sokka take a sharp breath. "It's a landslide! Run!"

He wasted no more time before bolting to the opening. Charlie followed behind him with wide eyes, her heart pounding in her throat. Rocks started to pile at the entrance, the arch closing more and more with each step they took. Sokka was only a foot or so from the exit when a stalactite fell in front of him, almost scraping his nose as it pierced the earth, trapping them in. The cave went black immediately. Charlie accidentally slammed into his back as Sokka stood silently, unable to slow down in time to stop. They both hit the wall which shut them in before falling to the ground with a groan.

"What just happened?" she heaved out, exhaling a wheezing breath, not used to running that much. She looked upwards, finding miniscule holes of light creeping through the holes in the opening.

"You're the _psychic_ here, you tell me." Charlie could practically hear his eyes roll as the insult rolled from his lips. She heard him shuffle along the ground to brush his hands along the stone which trapped them in the cave.

"It doesn't work like that," she drawled out, her face blank. He scoffed a laugh at her response, becoming more frantic in feeling for an opening, or any weakness in the blockage.

"Come on," he muttered to himself, the strain in his voice evident as he tried pushing the rocks. When that proved to be unsuccessful, he picked up his club and tried hitting the stones repeatedly.

"Somehow, I don't think that's gonna work, Sokka," Charlie admitted, running her hand through her fringe. Sokka let out a yelp as the rebound threw him back on the ground.

"Oh really? I forgot that you know everything, _my bad_ ," he uttered out with tension in his voice. "And why aren't you helping? It's your fault we're stuck, you know."

"How the hell is this _my_ fault?" she asked, feeling insulted at the accusation.

"If you hadn't stormed off on your own earlier, I wouldn't have had to come after you and we wouldn't be stuck here," he responded.

"No one asked you to follow me, Sokka!" Charlie hissed out, feeling her face heating up with every moment, growing more and more frustrated.

"I don't need to listen to this," he argued, shuffling across the ground until his back hit the adjacent side of the cave.

"And I didn't storm off, I just wanted a break from you." She would have stopped there, but Sokka's scoff—which came across as condescending—irked her. "All I'm saying is, this is your fault too, don't try to pin all the blame on me."

"It's like arguing with a brick wall," he claimed under his breath. "So stubborn."

Charlie's fists tightened, nails digging into her sore palms. She'd been doing that so often that bruises started to form around the indentations. She ignored his comment, and instead shuffled until her back hit the wall, wrapping her arms around her legs. Charlie let out a sight, resting her forehead on her knees.

After a few minutes of silence, Sokka broke first. "It's so dark in here, I can't see a thing," he complained.

"Why'd you come in here in the first place?" Charlie muttered, voice muffled by her legs. "We're looking for food."

"Have you never been hunting before?" he asked curiously.

"No."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." She ignored his remark. "Animals shelter in caves, I was hoping something would be in here," Sokka explained, rhythmically tapping his club on the ground.

"Oh. Aang is vegetarian though, he wouldn't be able to eat it," Charlie mentioned.

"Is he? How'd you know that?"

"Gee, I wonder," she deadpanned. She was met with another short silence, prompting Charlie to come to the realisation that they'd been ignoring each other for the whole day, not really listening to what the other had to say.

"Let's just hope the others come looking for us," Sokka started with a change of subject. "There's no way we're getting out of here on our own."

Charlie nodded, forgetting for a moment that they couldn't see each other in the darkness of the cave. She could hardly see herself, apart from the ever-so-slight outline of her arms and legs given by the tiny holes of light in the rocks which blocked their exit. Charlie's leg began to bounce involuntarily in anticipation.

"So," Charlie began, breaking the uncomfortable silence they'd both created. "Who'd win in a fight—an Appa-sized Momo, or fifty Momo-sized Appas?"

Sokka exhaled sharply from his side of the cave. "What kind of question is that?"

"A hypothetical one." Charlie pushed away some of the sweaty hair that clung to her forehead.

"I don't care that it's hypothetical," he protested, shifting on the cave floor. "It's a ridiculous question, and it'd never happen in real life."

"Yeah, genius, that's why it's hypothetical," she shot back with a dramatic eye roll. "That means theoretical—"

"And impractical," he drawled out, cutting her off. "Also, stupid. Besides, there'd be a clear winner."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Charlie admitted honestly with a small nod. In unison, they gave their answers.

"Tiny Appas," Charlie said.

"Giant Momo," Sokka said.

They both gasped. " _What?_ " Charlie demanded incredulously in absolute shock.

"You think a tiny Appa would win? How!" Sokka shot out, presumably with a signature flail of his arms.

"There's fifty of them!" she said as if it were obvious. "Strength in numbers is literally the philosophy of like, every battle ever. You realise that, right?"

Sokka was quick to dispute her point. " _Giant Momo,_ " he supplied immediately as his sole piece of evidence. "There's no competition!"

"I—I can't believe you're arguing with me on this!" Charlie replied, sounding scandalised.

"Neither can I," he said with a scoff. "I'm not talking about this anymore."

"Fine," she said.

" _Fine_ ," Sokka replied.

After their debate, which was admittedly more light-hearted and immature than their previous ones, they fell into a drawn-out silence. Charlie wasn't sure how long she sat with her back slumped against the cave wall for. She knew Sokka sat opposite her on the other side of the cave, even if it was too dark to see him. Charlie could hear him forcing his breaths to stay steady and even, despite the occasional shake that came with him moving around in a fidgety manner. The pair stayed quiet for a long time while she held her head with her hands, which balanced on her knees.

"Hey Charlie?" Sokka asked finally, not needing to speak loudly for his voice to echo.

"Yeah?" she replied, pulling her arms down into her lap.

Charlie then heard him shuffling, suddenly highly-aware of his presence as he positioned himself so that they were shoulder-to-shoulder. She bit the inside of her lip in anticipation as she waited for him to continue.

"I'm sorry. About everything that happened today and for yesterday." Charlie looked at him instinctively, regardless of the fact that she could only see a faint outline. "The reason I was so mad was because... well, I felt like I wasn't really needed," he admitted, sagging his head slightly. The sudden change of tone came as somewhat of a shock to Charlie, not expecting the conversation to play out so seriously.

"Not needed? What are you talking about?" Charlie asked honestly, raising her eyebrows.

"You're the one coming up with the plans now, and because you're psychic, everyone believes you. I was stupid, and I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't want you there." Wrenching her eyes away from where he sat, Charlie stared down at her feet.

She could feel Sokka tense next to her when she didn't say anything for a moment. Burying her face into her arm, Charlie muttered, "I'm sorry too."

Sokka jostled next to her. "What are you sorry for?" he prompted.

"Picking all the fights today. And back at Haru's mom's shop, you warned me about talking back to that soldier, and I blew you off. You were right, it was stupid. It was pure luck that it didn't end badly. I was just—just so—"

"Frustrated," Sokka supplied, finishing her sentence. She nodded in agreement. Sokka paused for a moment before continuing. "Sometimes, we need to pick our battles, even if it sucks. We can't save everyone at once, but there'll always be another chance."

Charlie blew out a long breath, smiling in the dark. "That was oddly philosophical of you," she drawled out, snickering softly.

"Hey, I can be super philosophical! I'm the most philosophical person I know," Sokka barreled on, waving his arms around for effect.

"I'm guessing you don't know many people then," Charlie replied. Sokka chuckled, and their banter slowed down. It gave her a minute to think back on their conversation. "You weren't stupid, by the way. How you felt was justified."

Sokka leant back on the wall of the cave, wrapping his arms around one of his legs. "Thanks. You were still pretty stupid—hey!" Charlie had elbowed his side. "As I was _saying,_ it was stupid, but I get why you did it."

"If you're gonna call me stupid for my mistake then I get to call you stupid for yours."

"You justsaid it _wasn't_ stupid."

"I meant not more so than usual."

Their bickering had no harshness underneath it unlike their previous conversations. Instead, it felt more like two kid's poking at each other for fun, without being offended afterwards.

Charlie stood up and brushed off her clothes. "The others probably haven't realised we're stuck, we need to figure a way out on our own."

"We should start pushing the rocks from the top. There's less resistance on them, and it should be the weakest point," Sokka explained, standing up and making his way to the rocks blocking their exit.

"Let's do this."

Together, they put their hands on the weakest parts of the rock, steadying their feet.

"Okay, on three, we push. You ready?" Sokka asked, looking over at Charlie, who gave a quick nod, hair clinging to her neck. "One..." he began with a quick readjustment of his hands.

"Two," Charlie continued with a shaky breath.

They both looked at their hands. "Three!" She dug her palms into the rock as hard as she could, grunting as her back foot slipped back. The rocks tumbled slightly, but otherwise remained in place.

"Again!" Charlie shouted, as she and Sokka pushed even harder until she felt them give way under her hands. She jumped back, watching as the rocks and dirt tumbled down, sending a cloud of dust in the air. When it finally cleared, they could see the forest again.

With a sigh of relief, the two shared a smile.

They stumbled back to the camp, finding Aang and Katara drinking stew from small clay bowls. "Hey guys!" Aang cheered out with a wave. "Where have you been?"

"Trapped in a cave for an hour," Sokka said casually, walking over to his sister.

"Oh no, are you both okay?" Katara asked with a gasp, standing up to glance over them.

"Yeah, we're pretty good actually," Charlie admitted, joining the three. She didn't miss the waterbender's look of surprise. It didn't last long, however, as she turned back to her brother with a look of disgust.

"Sokka, you're all sweaty! Go wash off again," she commanded, pointing to the lake beside them. He grumbled out his complaint, but lazily complied, starting to loosen the ties of his shirt. "You probably should too, Charlie," Katara added, looking over at her. "You didn't get a chance to earlier, and we're leaving in the morning."

Charlie tensed up. She felt her shoulders stiffen at her sides, and couldn't even nod at the girl. After a moment, she forced out, "Yeah. Of course," before slowly making her way to the water's edge. "I'll just... go do that."

She stared at the lake, brushing the dirt on the shore, pushing the thoughts of her previous experiences with water to the back of her mind. Almost drowning took its toll on her, putting her in a semi-constant state of fear whenever she neared an open source.

Charlie hesitantly knelt by the lakeside, slowly dipping her fingertips in the water, submerging them until her wrists were covered. She let out a shaky breath, trying to force her arms to stop shaking. "Come on, Charlie," she muttered to herself, shutting her eyes tightly. Charlie exhaled a deep breath, forcing her muscles to relax before cupping the water between her hands and splashing it on her face.

She flinched involuntarily, but wasn't scared.

Only seconds later, Sokka dive-bombed into the water, the splash drentching her completely. "Sokka!" she yelled out, but was only met with laughter. It was contagious, and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Maybe, the water wasn't so bad after all.

After some time getting used to the water in her underwear—feeling a little self-conscious, but pushing the feeling back—Aang dried them off with his airbending before they ate their shares of the stew. After some laughter at the explanation of what had gone down in the cave, the four decided to call it a night.

Charlie's eyes were closed, but she couldn't sleep. She wasn't sure how long she spent lying still in her sleeping bag, but eventually she gave up. Instead, she looked up at the night sky, lit with endless stars and constellations unknown to her. The moon sat just above the dark silhouette of treetops, perfectly visible in the cloudless sky. She noticed how it looked so much bigger in this universe than in her own.

The trees rustled, and Charlie sat up to look over. There was no wind, and that meant something was disturbing the leaves. She glanced at the others, seeing Sokka and Katara bundled in their blue sleeping backs and Aang on the ground, lying on his side. Hearing the rustling again, she went to investigate.

Charlie walked to the edge of the campsite where the trees began to become thicker again and looked past the branches. She didn't see anything at first, the forest being too dark. But in the distance, a blue flash caught her eye. She moved towards it with caution, grabbing a fallen tree branch from the ground as protection.

"Hello?" she called out, slowly slinging the branch over her shoulder. "Who's there?" Charlie heard a small intake of air from her left and flug around to come face to face with the source. There stood a twelve-year-old boy, semi-transparent and emitting a blue glow. "Aang?"

"Charlie? You can see me?" he asked in shock, taking a step back.

"Um, yeah? Why are you blue?"

"You—you shouldn't be able to, I'm in the Spirit World," he explained, causing Charlie's jaw to slack open.

"What the hell? What are you doing in the Spirit World?" she rushed out, straightening her back and pulling the branch away from her shoulder, letting it hang towards the ground.

"Is that a branch?" he asked, cocking his head. Charlie gave him a baffled look. "Why are you holding a branch?"

"Wha—that's not important, Aang! How can I see you?"

Aang's eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at himself. "I'm not sure. No one should be able to." Charlie signed, partly from frustration, but also from sleep deprivation.

"Alright, we can figure that out later. _Why_ are you in the Spirit World?" she said, changing her line of questioning.

"I'm not sure how I got here, but I'm supposed to find Hei Bai's spirit, at least, that's what you told me." Charlie's eyes went wide in shock. Aang hadn't noticed yet, continuing, "Why aren't you at the village?"

" _Hei Bai!?_ " she shouted, dropping the branch to the ground. "That's impossible! We haven't even _been_ there yet, we just left Haru's town."

"What are you talking about? We left there days ago." Charlie pressed her fingers on either of her temples and pressed hard, trying to settle the headache that was quickly forming. However, she froze after hearing a rustle from the trees behind.

"Charlie?" Flinging around, she came face-to-face with Sokka, who stood with one arm limp at his side, and the other rubbing at his tired eyes. "Who are you talking to?" he asked after a yawn.

Looking over her shoulder, she found that Aang's spirit was gone. Her eyes slowly widened. Was that real? It felt real, but maybe she was going crazy.

Sensing her hesitation, Sokka walked closer and put a hand on her shoulder, causing Charlie to whip her head back towards the boy. The look in her eyes was unsettling. "What's wrong?" he asked. After a moment, Charlie carefully shrugged his hand off.

"It was a... premonition." Sokka blinked.

"A premonition," he repeated with a deadpan expression.

"Yup, psychic things, you wouldn't understand." She regained her composure and threw him a lopsided smile for good measure.

He gave a tired chuckle, going to rub his eyes again. "Anything interesting?"

Charlie stepped around him, starting to walk back to the camp as Sokka trailed behind her. "Just stuff about Aang and our next mission or whatever, it can wait until morning."

**Soundtrack**

Something Good by alt-j || Charlie hears a rumble in the cave, they argue and banter

Avenue by Agnes Obel || Charlie can't sleep and sees Aang in the Spirit World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sketch of Charlie and Sokka in the cave!
> 
> https://like-islands.tumblr.com/post/629227018799677440/charlie-and-sokka-in-chapter-4-of-koete-the-cave


	5. Hei Bai

Charlie wrestled with her sleeping bag in attempts to stuff it back into its case. "Ugh, why is this so difficult?" she complained, using her fist to push the remainder of the fabric in the unproportionally-sized holder.

"Maybe—and this is just a guess—you're supposed to _fold_ the sleeping bag, instead of trying to—" Sokka paused, watching the girl put all of her body weight into pressing down the string that tied it all together. "—Murder it?"

"It fit before!" she refuted, throwing the half-stuffed case to the ground. It rolled over to Sokka's feet, so with an exaggerated sigh, he leant down to pick it up. Pulling the sleeping bag out of the case with a tug, he gave it a strong shake to flatten it again.

"Watch and learn, Charlie. This is how it's done." She raised an eyebrow at his boastful tone, watching as he folded it in half before flattening and rolling the fabric, slipping it easily into its case.

"Wow, that was really amazing," she drawled out, clapping her hands lightly three times.

"Yeah, I'm pretty humble about it so you don't need to thank me."

"Good. I wasn't gonna."

"Wha—That doesn't mean I don't want to hear it!"

"You're so modest, Sokka" she said dryly with a chuckle. "If you're this good at packing up, you should do my share from now on!"

"Hey, that was a one-off thing. You're on your own now."

"Sure, until the next time my inability to fold gets in the way of us leaving."

Katara and Aang, already on Appa, looked down at the two. "You guys are getting along better today," Katara pointed out, hanging over the saddle.

Charlie looked over at Sokka, and they shared a look, followed by a simultaneous shrug. "What can I say, we did a lot of talking in that cave yesterday."

"Yeah, turns out it was just a misunderstanding," Sokka continued with a smile. Katara held out her hand to him and helped pull her brother up onto the saddle, where he tied down Charlie's wrapped-up sleeping bag.

"So, you guys won't be arguing anymore?" Aang asked from the reigns, using a short blast of airbending to lift Charlie onto the saddle.

She let out a small yelp, but otherwise landed safely between the siblings. "Oh, no I'm naturally argumentative, that's not changing."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," Sokka joked, settling down against the supplies.

After a few boring hours in the air, Charlie looked over to Sokka, who was flicking shavings off a piece of wood with his machete. "What're you making?" she asked, tilting her head back further. She'd been lying on her back, staring up at the moving clouds with her hands cushioning her head, and one knee raised when she noticed the pale curled shavings starting to pile up next to her. Sokka was on her left, but sat upright as he whittled away at the small block of wood.

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted, taking a moment to stop and look at her. "I'm just making it up as I go." Charlie nodded, accepting his answer, but Katara wasn't as easy to sway.

"Please, you're only saying that because it's going to look terrible," she said, looking over her shoulder. She'd been lying on her stomach with her hands propping up her head, starting out at the view.

"You don't know that!" Sokka argued, his voice cracking slightly.

"Don't you remember the time you tried making a buffalo yack for Gran-Gran—"

"It was a _wolf,_ "

"It looked nothing like a wolf!"

"You were just looking at it wrong," Sokka muttered, stripping another shaving with his machete. While the siblings continued to bicker, Charlie looked out over the edge of Appa's saddle at the clouds. Tinted pink from the light of the afternoon sun, they flew slowly, as if gliding through the air. She crawled over to Aang, who laid comfortably on the groove of Appa's neck. He was relaxing with his legs overlapping and closed eyes, letting the gentle breeze brush over him. Charlie leant over and tapped him twice on the head to capture his attention.

Aang tilted his head back slightly and opened his eyes to see them staring at each other upside down. "Hey Charlie, what's up?" he asked with a smile.

"I just had a question," she said, adjusting her position so she sat with crossed legs. "Last night, you didn't happen to be in the Spirit World, did you?" Aang didn't answer for a moment, blinking at her question. He sat up and turned to face her properly before answering.

"No, not that I know of. Why?" Charlie pursed her lips in thought at the response. Aang cocked his head with an expression of slight confusion.

"No reason," she said, waving her hand dismissively. In her own mind, she'd already come to the most reasonable conclusion for what had occurred the previous night, remembering Aang's blue-tinted, transparent body in front of her. Somehow, a version of Aang that was an episode ahead had appeared before her unknowingly. It wasn't the strangest thing to happen to her, although maybe the thought would have freaked her out more if she hadn't been teleported into the Avatar universe. Instead of avoiding the topic all together, she decided to use the same lie she told Sokka previously. "I had a premonition last night where you went into the Spirit World," she continued, watching as Aang perked up.

"Wow, really? I've never been to the Spirit World before," he admitted with a look of wonder.

"Oh, that's what you saw last night?" Sokka added from the back of the saddle, where he sat with his back propped up on their supplies.

"What happened in it?" Katara asked with curiosity, leaning forwards.

"It's about the next village we run into," Charlie began, sitting up to face the siblings. Aang stood up and leant his arms over the lip of the saddle. "There's a spirit named Hei Bai who's been crossing over from the Spirit World for the last few nights. It's been destroying their homes because it's angry."

Aang looked up at Charlie, asking, "Why is the spirit so angry at the people?"

"Its forest was burnt down, I don't know much else though," she admitted with a small shrug.

The four were only silent for a second before Charlie noticed Sokka's face drop. "Hey, Charlie?" he said, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Is that the forest you're talking about?" He pointed his finger at the ground far in front of them, being the only one facing forward.

Charlie slowly turned around, finding herself staring at a vast terrain, completely blackened with the ash of burnt trees and foliage. The contrast between the pitch-black area bordered by an extensive sea of vivid green leaves left her speechless. The patch snaked along the river and crawled up the mountain sides before leaving a blunt line where the two areas met. Aang was quick to bring them down upon a flat piece of land in the centre of the dead field. Trees that had once been full of life had been stripped of their natural beauty, leaving nothing but blackened spikes of thin tree trunks sticking out of the grey dirt. Not even twigs remained, having disintegrated in the fire.

It was dead silent. In fact, the only thing Charlie could hear was her own breath, and their collective footsteps.

"It's so quiet," Sokka said, speaking her thoughts. "There's no life anywhere."

Seeing Aang's posture weaken from his words, Charlie added, "The animals must have all relocated deeper into the forest. I'm sure they're all okay."

Katara walked over to Aang's side and put a hand on his shoulder, comforting the airbender as he took in the aftermath of the destruction that surrounded him.

Charlie walked to stand by Sokka, who had been squatting next to a trail of footprints in the scorched dirt. He narrowed his eyes, brushing his fingers through the imprints. "Fire Nation," he stated confidently, but with a growl in his tone.

"How do you know? They just look like footprints to me," Charlie admitted, eyeing the marks on the ground. Sokka stood up next to her and gestured to the more animalistic footprints alongside the human ones.

"These footprints are from a Komodo Rhino. Fire Nation soldiers use them for travel," he explained, the dark expression not leaving his face. "They make me sick. They have absolutely no respect for—"

His rant was cut short by Katara shushing him from Aang's side. She knelt next to him as he collapsed to the ground, picking up the ash and letting it fall through his fingers. "This is my fault," Aang whispered, hanging his head.

"No it's not, Aang, don't say that," Katara said, putting a hand over his.

"Yes, it is. As the Avatar, it's my job to protect people and nature. But I can't, because I don't even know how to _be_ the Avatar." Katara hesitated, opening then closing her mouth, as if unsure how to respond.

Charlie decided to walk up to them slowly, squatting in front of Aang. She balanced on the balls of her feet, resting her arms on her knees. "You're just a kid, Aang. We can't expect you to learn everything overnight, especially on your own." Aang looked up at Charlie with a small smile as thanks for comforting him.

"Well, there is one person who can help. Monk Gyatso always told me that Avatar Roku would be there when I needed him," Aang supplied, his voice starting to pick up.

"The Avatar before you?" Sokka asked from behind. Aang nodded in response as Sokka continued, walking closer. "But he died over a hundred years ago, how are you supposed to talk to him?"

"I don't know," Aang admitted with a small frown. Charlie pursed her lips in thought before shifting her position to plop down on the dirt in front of him, crossing her legs.

"I think I can help with that, at least a little," she said, placing her hands behind her to prop herself up.

"Really? How?" Aang asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I only know a bit about the Spirit World—psychic things, you know—but we've gotta start somewhere." Charlie quirked a smile before continuing, "Ask me what you want to know, and I'll try my best to answer."

Sokka sat next to them, listening in with curiosity as Aang asked, "So, where _is_ the Spirit World." A metaphorical drop of sweat fell down Charlie's forehead.

"Ahh, you had to start with the hard one," she muttered, scratching the back of her neck. Seeing Aang's expectant look still on his face, Charlie mustered up all the information she had on the Spirit World in her mind. "Okay, so there are some parts of the Spirit World that cross over with the real world so they look exactly the same and they're in the same place." That was what she'd understood from the Hei Bai episode, where Aang entered from the panda shrine and didn't notice the difference. "Then there are other parts that look completely different from this world. Pretty much, the Spirit World co-exists with this one."

"Where did you even learn that?" Sokka asked sceptically. "I didn't think fortune telling would suddenly make you all-knowing."

Internally, Charlie hesitated, feeling like she'd been caught in a lie. However, in reality, she was quick to wave her hand dismissively, saying, "It's Avatar stuff, don't think about it too much."

"I have another question!" Aang announced, already looking happier. "How do I get there?"

"From what I understand, you go to a place that's got a lot of spiritual energy and just, like... meditate or something. I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it'll just come to you." She gave him a thumb up for good measure, unsure of what else to add. Strictly speaking, she had no idea what Aang needed to do while meditating to get into the Spirit World, only understanding what it looked like from the outside. But Aang kind of looked like a kicked puppy, and no one wanted to see that, so Charlie couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

"Thanks for your help, Charlie," Aang said, giving her a bright smile. She only shrugged casually in response. 

"Hey Aang!" Katara called from slightly further back. In all honesty, Charlie hadn't even realised she'd left his side until she saw the waterbender standing with her hands hidden behind her back. Aang turned around to look at the girl, only for an acorn to hit him directly between the eyes.

He fell backwards in shock, letting out a small yelp as his back hit the floor. "What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his head as he pushed himself back up into a sitting position.

"Look," she began, twiddling another acorn between her fingers. "These are all over the place. That means that one day, the forest will grow back on its own." Aang relaxed his arm on his raised knee, listening closer to Katara. "Every one of these will become a tall oak tree, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back." She reached over and placed a single acorn in his palm before wrapping her fingers around Aang's to close his fist. Charlie shuffled away slightly, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"Thanks Katara," Aang said with genuine appreciation in his voice.

Their conversation ended when Katara gasped, seeing an old man with a walking stick coming towards them. Sokka was quick to stand up, blocking the path of the man. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The man only ignored him, stepping around the boy to speak to Aang. "When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible. But those markings..." He trailed off his thoughts to stare at Aang's tattoos, showing on his hands and head. "Are you the Avatar, child?"

He explained the situation after seeing Aang nod, before leading the four to Senlin Village. In structure, it was very similar to Haru's village. Four walls protected the homes and stores within, and a larger community building stood tall at the furthest point from the entrance. It wasn't occupied by the Fire Nation, however, unlike Haru's. It sat in the middle of the forest, and would be impossible to find if they weren't led to it.

Some of the buildings had been badly damaged by Hei Bai, roofs caved in and walls knocked down. The setting sun casted a golden glow on the village, lulling it into a false sense of tranquillity before the destruction that she knew would follow.

They were introduced to the leader of the village, who seemed somewhat sceptical of Aang's ability to make peace with Hei Bai. After seeing the airbender's worry, Katara pulled him aside and they all regrouped to discuss a plan.

Charlie leant against the wall, crossing one leg over the other. "You seem a little unsure about all of this, Aang," Katara admitted, resting a hand on the window ledge. Aang looked away, his eyes downcast.

"That's because I hardly know anything about spirits. I mean, Charlie knows more than me, and I'm the Avatar!" he said, gesturing to the ginger. She offered him a lopsided smile before he turned back to the waterbender.

"Do you think you can still help them?" she asked.

"I've got to try. And who knows, maybe Charlie's right and it'll just come to me." Momo jumped on his shoulder with a supportive purr.

"I think you can do it, Aang," Katara said with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Sokka leant on the wall next to Charlie, crossing his arms and muttering to her, "We're all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster, aren't we?"

She stifled a laugh as she looked over to him, tearing her eyes away from the moment that Karata and Aang shared. "Well. Just you," she admitted, unable to stop the corner of her lips from twitching upwards.

Sokka chucked for a second, but quickly did a double-take when he saw Charlie's expression. "Wait, what? Are you serious Charlie? Charlie."

Charlie threw up her hands in surrender as he turned his body to face her, taking a small step back. "Hey, I can't change this one," she said, shaking her head. "It is what it is, you know? You'll be fine."

"You just told me I'll be eaten by a spirit monster! Does that sound fine to you?" Sokka barrelled on, causing her to snort a laugh.

Charlie waved him off, lightly shoving his shoulder as she took a step towards Aang, finding he'd heard their conversation and was now wearing a worried expression. "The sun's setting, you should probably get out there," she told him, gesturing her head towards the doors. She noticed Aang fidget uncomfortably, taking a quick glance at the doors before looking back at her. "It'll be alright, Aang," she promised, trying to comfort the boy.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," he admitted.

Charlie pursed her lips, wondering how much she could get away with telling him. "Remember that stuff I told you about the Spirit World earlier?" She waited for Aang to nod before continuing, "You'll need to know that for today."

Aang's eyes were quick to widen, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Tonight, you'll be taken into the Spirit World." Aang and Katara both gasped, seeing Charlie's serious expression.

"Charlie, are you sure he's ready for that?" Katara asked with worry.

"Yeah, it's just how things play out," she said to the waterbender before turning back to Aang. "Once you're in there, you won't be able to bend. You'll wake up next to Hei Bai's spiritual centre, which looks like some big panda bear statue or something, and—" Charlie hesitated, not knowing how to explain the Roku's dragon would take him to the Fire Temple. "And the spirits will guide you from there."

Aang's expression grew more serious, and he gave a perfunctory nod. "Thanks, Charlie. I'm glad you're with us."

Charlie blinked at his statement. "Oh. All good." She didn't know how to respond, feeling both confused and grateful. "Anyway, get going, it's sundown," she said, clapping a hand to his back.

As Aang wandered aimlessly around the village, Charlie watched with Katara from the open window while listening to Sokka's worries. "It feels wrong to sit here while Aang's putting himself in danger," he spoke from behind them. Charlie gave a small nod in agreement. Although she knew that Aang would be okay, and things were playing out exactly how they were supposed to, there was something unsettling about letting a twelve-year-old boy put himself in danger alone.

The shift in atmosphere was sudden. Hei Bai's spirit appeared out of nowhere in front of Aang, letting out a piercing screech before marching past him on all fours. The spirit was bigger than the tallest houses in the village, its black and white body almost glowing in the light as it raised one arm, bringing it down hard on top of a house which crumbled beneath it.

Aang jumped up, trying to console it, but was subsequently thrown onto the roof of a house before sliding to the ground. "That's it, Aang needs help!" Sokka yelled before sprinting out the doors towards Aang, too quick for anyone to stop him.

Charlie bit her nail, watching as he threw his boomerang at the spirit as a distraction.

"Sokka, go back!" Aang shouted over the sound of another house collapsing. "You heard what Charlie said!"

"She also said I'd be fine!" he argued, catching up to the airbender. "Let's hurry, before—" Sokka didn't have a chance to finish his sentence when he was grabbed by Hei Bai and dragged out to the forest.

"No!" Katara screamed, running out of the building. Charlie was quick to follow after her, heart pounding in her throat. She knew that realistically, Hei Bai wouldn't hurt Sokka, but the adrenaline still rushed through her blood at the sight of the spirit running off with him. They watched as both Aang and Sokka disappeared into the forest, unable to help.

Katara stood between the opening of the two village walls, unmoving.

Charlie closed her eyes and exhaled sharply, trying to regain her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glimmer, turning to see it was the reflection of the moonlight shining on Sokka's abandoned boomerang. She slowly walked over to it, leaning down to pick it up. The metal was cool in her hands, and its weight was almost comforting. She gripped it tightly for a moment before shuffling over to the waterbender, placing it in her hands.

"I promise everything will be okay, Katara. Aang will know what to do."

Katara looked down at the floor, closing her eyes with a nod as her hands tightened around her brother's boomerang. "I hope you're right."

Aang opened his eyes. The first thing that he noticed was that he was already sitting up, facing the forest. The moon shone just above the silhouette of treetops, and Aang was quickly reminded of his task.

"Sokka!" he gasped out, frantically searching around him. He scrambled to his feet and turned around, coming face-to-face with a large panda statue, circled by smaller monuments. He cocked his head at it, trying to gauge why it felt almost familiar and calming.

Aang remembered Charlie's earlier words, and her description of Hei Bai's spiritual centre, quickly coming to the realisation that he'd found his way there by chance. He looked down at his hands, finding them to be translucent and tinted blue. His steps didn't leave any prints on the ground below, almost as if he weren't even standing there at all. Eyes slowly widening, he muttered to himself, "I'm in the Spirit World."

Needing to be sure, he directed his arms in a circular motion, trying to form his air scooter, but nothing came as a result of his actions, as per Charlie's explanation. When he was confident he was no longer in the human realm, Aang ran into the forest.

"Hello? Spirits? My friend said you're supposed to help me!" he added unsurely, peeking his head through gaps in the trees. Aang wasn't sure how long he walked for, the time seeming to slip away when he didn't give focus to it.

But then, through the dark forest, he saw a figure moving between the trees cautiously. "Hello?" the voice called. It was one familiar to him—female, but not in a high register. "Who's there?" the voice continued, growing closer.

Aang weaved his way through the trees, pushing thick branches away until he came to face a ginger-haired teenager.

"Aang?" she asked, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Charlie?" he replied, as equally shocked as her. "You can see me?" Aang took a step back, looking down at himself to double check that he was still in the Spirit World. Sure enough, the translucent blue glow of his hands was a reminder that he wasn't in the human realm.

"Um, yeah? Why are you blue?" he heard Charlie ask, approaching him slowly.

"You—you shouldn't be able to," Aang stuttered out in confusion. "I'm in the Spirit World." At that, Charlie's jaw immediately dropped.

"What the hell?" she cursed, dropping a thick branch that Aang hadn't noticed before to the ground. "What are you doing in the Spirit World?"

Aang cocked his head, unable to get over why she was walking around the forest in the middle of the night, holding the branch between her tight fists like a weapon. "Is that a branch?" Charlie furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head at him, mouth still slightly ajar. Sensing her confusion, Aang clarified with a point of his finger, "Why are you holding a branch?"

"Wha—that's not important, Aang!" she defended, looking between him and the branch in her hands. "How can I see you?"

Aang looked down again at his hands, muttering out, "I'm not sure. No one should be able to." He thought for a moment that he'd done something wrong, like maybe he wasn't in the Spirit World, but his body was just floating around freely in an in-between state. At the sound of Charlie's deep sigh, he looked up at her again, seeing her shoulders drop slightly. He couldn't be sure if it was from frustration or exhaustion, but hoped it was the latter.

"Alright, we can figure that out later. _Why_ are you in the Spirit World?" she asked, emphasising her words with an open palm.

"I'm not sure how I got here, but I'm supposed to find Hei Bai's spirit," he answered truthfully, watching Charlie's eyes go wide again. "At least, that's what you told me."

" _Hei Bai!?_ " she said loudly, letting the branch fall in a pile of dampened leaves. "That's impossible! We haven't even _been_ there yet, we just left Haru's town."

Aang shook his head in disagreement. "What are you talking about? We left there days ago." From behind, there was more rustling in the trees, although he wasn't around long enough to find out what caused it, before a giant entity flew straight at him, picking him up and flying away from Charlie. Aang screamed out in shock as he was pushed through the trees by the force. They came to a sudden stop in a clearing, allowing him to take in the situation.

In front of him sat a translucent blue dragon, its body so long that it snaked into the forest. Aang let out a strangled gasp and tried to shuffle backwards as the dragon came closer, but froze as one of its whiskers reached out towards him and connected with his arrow.

Charlie had been sitting next to Katara in silence since the sun had set. The waterbender wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them to her chest as she looked out into the forest. She sat just beyond the opening of the village walls, while Charlie rested with her neck and head propped up against the connecting pillar to the right. Her legs were sprawled out, and her fingers were interlocked over her stomach. Charlie stared at the side of Katara's face, seeing her disheartened expression before sitting up with a sign. Katara took no notice of her, even after she shuffled to sit next to the younger girl.

"Hey," Charlie whispered in a comforting tone. "It's all going to be okay."

"I know," Katara said, the corners of her lips turning downwards. She looked at her knees for a moment before grabbing Sokka's boomerang from beside her, clutching it tightly to her chest. Charlie frowned for a moment, unsure of what else to say to cheer up the grieving teenager. It was the first time she'd been alone with Katara, so she hadn't particularly formed a bond yet, making it almost awkward. On top of that, Charlie wasn't great at cheering up people who were genuinely hurt. She wasn't great with people, at least, not about the more serious things like relationships. In fact, she was pretty bad at giving emotional advice. The random things, on the other hand, she was usually good with, being a self-proclaimed impressive conversationalist. Maybe it was her naturally argumentative personality. However, she could barely deal with her own emotions, let alone everyone else's.

All she knew to do was give Katara comfort through proximity, staying by her side until the sun rose. Aang didn't return until far later in the day, nearing sunset. Charlie and Katara were about to talk shelter in the community building with the rest of the villagers when the waterbender gasped, her eyes lighting up for the first time that day.

Charlie whipped around to see Aang flying down on his glider, circling the village before landing with a gentle breeze of air.

"Aang!" Katara rushed to the airbender, where they shared a hug. Momo also came to greet him, landing on his shoulder with a playful chatter. "Where's Sokka?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted with a frown, pulling his gaze away from her. Katara's smile faltered as she spared a glance at Charlie.

"I thought you said he'd be fine," she questioned, eyes glazed over.

"And he will be. Just give it 'till nightfall," Charlie promised, with a single nod. "Oh, and glad you're back, Aang."

He offered her a small smile before going to stand by the entrance of the village, waiting for Hei Bai's arrival. Meanwhile, Charlie and Katara retreated back inside the community centre with the rest of the village, watching on from the window.

Her fingers twitched, a strange feeling rising in her stomach. It was the same feeling she'd experienced the first time Aang stood outside alone, while she'd just watched on. Wind rustled the trees, blowing a ribbon of leaves through the village. The rhythmic buzz of cicadas crying from the forest could be heard from where Charlie stood. Wind chimes rang, their echo only contributing to the eerie silence.

The chimes had no chance to complete their song before Hei Bai shot his arm through the building attached to it, shattering the wood to splinters. She jumped back with an involuntary yelp escaping her throat, and the spirits face shot in her direction. With a piercing screech, Hei Bai appeared almost instantly in front of the community building the village resided in.

"No!" Aang shouted out, propelling himself over the spirit with a blast of air. He twisted around, placing a hand between Hei Bai's eyes as he glided past. Beneath his next roar, Charlie could see the weak outline of another being inside of him, appearing to be akin to a giant panda.

"I know why you're upset," Aang spoke softly, watching as the spirit slowed to a stop in front of him. "When I saw your home had burned, I was upset too, but a few friends gave me hope that it would grow back, that all the animals that lived there were safe." Aang pulled a single acorn from his shirt—the one Katara had given him. He placed it on the floor, taking a few steps back as Hei Bai carefully picked it up between his fingers.

The spirit turned around, his appearance shifting to one of a giant panda which hid behind the frightening exterior. As he walked into the forest, Charlie was quick to run outside, Katara following closely behind.

She stopped next to Aang, watching as long stems of bamboo grew slowly from the dirt, swaying gently as they weaved between each other. Leaves sprouted from the stems as a golden light briefly shone inside of it. There was something familiar about its presence, making her think back to the vines of the banyan grove tree which had brought her to Omashu. A dark hand brushed aside the green stems.

Charlie couldn't help but finally relax her shoulders when she saw Sokka gently push aside the bamboo, watching as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Sokka!" Katara cheered, dashing for her brother. They shared a hug before she grabbed his shoulders, holding him at arm's length.

"What happened?" Sokka questioned as Charlie and Aang joined the siblings.

"You were stuck in the Spirit World for a whole twenty-four hours," the waterbender explained.

Aang bounded over to the older teen, wrapping his arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay," he admitted with a bright smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it from happening."

Sokka shrugged his shoulders casually and offered a smile to the airbender. "Don't worry about it Aang," he said, giving the boy a comforting pat on the back, before the village leader called him over.

"I'll be right back!" Aang announced, rushing over to the elders of the village.

Sokka looked over to Charlie, who stood slightly further away than Katara. The corner of her lips pulled into a small smile. "So," she began, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "What's it like being eaten by a spirit monster?" Sokka threw his head back and groaned in exasperation, hanging his arms loosely by his side. She snorted a laugh, quickly adding, "What? I'm curious!"

"You can never just leave it at 'I'm glad you're okay', can you?" Sokka said.

"That would require me caring."

Sokka lightly whacked her shoulder in retaliation before loudly announcing he had to use the bathroom. "There were none in there! For a while I seriously considered just—"

Charlie held up her hands to cut him off. "Woah slow down there, TMI man." Seeing Sokka's confused look, she continued, "Too much information. I don't wanna hear that," with a slight whine in her tone. Sokka only laughed before walking off, as Charlie stared after him, shaking her head.

Katara seemed to magically appear beside her, hands held behind her back as she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet. Charlie jumped slightly, letting out a sharp exhale when she saw the girl. "I wanted to say thank you."

Charlie pulled her head back slightly, furrowing her eyebrows. "For what?" she asked.

"For staying with me when you knew how worried I was. I know you told me everything would be fine, but I couldn't help feeling scared," Katara admitted, rubbing her neck sheepishly.

"Oh. No problem, Katara," Charlie said, shifting her weight onto one leg. "I mean I didn't actually do anything, I was kind of just sitting around—" She was almost knocked over when Katara rushed in for a quick hug. Charlie laughed awkwardly, her hands glued to her sides before the girl pulled away, watching Aang come back over to them.

Sokka was quick to rejoin them too as Aang described his journey in the Spirit World, complete with a trip to a crescent-shaped island in the Fire Nation via Roku's dragon companion. They made the decision to prepare to leave, so Aang could contact the previous Avatar's spirit before the sun set the next day. Aang stayed outside, claiming he'd get Appa ready for the trip.

Charlie pursed her lips as she walked back inside, knowing that Aang was lying to them. She grabbed her bag from the corner of the room, setting it around her shoulder. When she turned back around, Katara was handing back a metal boomerang to her brother.

"Boomerang!" Sokka cheered, hugging the weapon tightly to his chest. "Oh, how I missed you," he said, planting a kiss on its flat edge.

"Do you two need a room?" Charlie drawled, cocking an eyebrow at the boomerang.

"Hey, don't judge, Charlie! This is a private relationship between a man and his boomerang," Sokka defended, sticking up his nose at her.

Charlie held up her hands. "I'm just saying—objectophilia. Not cool. Probably illegal."

Sokka spared her a glance. "I have no idea what that means but it sounds like an insult, so I'm offended."

Charlie scrunched her nose, taking a glance out the window where Aang was trying to make Appa leave. "Hate to cut your reunion short, but Aang's trying to leave without us," she said, pointing her thumb in the direction of the airbender.

"What?" Katara questioned, before looking out at the boy who tugged at the bison's reins. She let out a gasp, quick to run out the doors towards him.

Sokka also went to run out, but Charlie grabbed his arm, feeling his white fabric wraps under her fingers. He turned, taking a glance at the hand which stopped him, before looking at her eyes.

"Hey, Sokka?" Charlie said after a moment of hesitation. She struggled a gulp, her mouth suddenly feeling dry.

"Yeah?" he prompted quietly.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Sokka was silent, the buzzing sound of cicadas filling the air. They continued to stare at each other for a second too long before he finally responded with a small smile. "Thanks, Charlie."

**Soundtrack**

Forgotten Days by PAPA || Start of chapter, Charlie wrestles with the sleeping bag and they fly on Appa until Aang admits he’d never been to the Spirit World before.

Howling by Nathan Ball || Katara stares out at the forest after Hei Bai kidnaps Sokka, through until the end of Aang’s point-of-view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made a Spotify playlist! It's called 'Koete Soundtrack' by kim_pag
> 
> Also here's a sketch of Aang seeing Charlie while he's in the Spirit World: https://like-islands.tumblr.com/post/629860491580309504/charlie-and-aang-in-chapter-5-of-koete-hei-bai


	6. The Fire Sages

Charlie and Sokka had stared at each other for just a moment too long, enough to make the atmosphere feel really awkward. Sokka had already shared his thanks with her, but her fingers remained wrapped around his wrist, just above his fingerless leather gloves.

"Uh," Charlie let out, quickly removing her hand from his arm. Sokka cleared his throat, fidgeting a bit more than necessary. "We should go."

"Yeah," he agreed, spinning on his heels. Charlie bit her lip as he walked out the doors, slowly following after him.

"I'm sorry, buddy, but Katara, Sokka and Charlie aren't coming to the Fire Nation with us," Aang said, trying desperately to make Appa move. "So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!"

"I think his big butt is trying to tell you something," Sokka joked, walking around the bison to face Aang.

"Aang, please don't go on your own. We can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation," Katara admitted, staring at him with wide eyes.

While they tried to convince him, Charlie was already climbing onto Appa, pulling herself up the curve of his tail until she reached his saddle. She settled herself down, sprawling out her legs while crossing her arms.

"But I need to speak to Roku before the sun sets on the Solstice," Aang argued, dropping Appa's reins. "And that's today!" With a jump, he propelled himself onto the bison's neck, letting out a small yelp as he saw Charlie sitting and staring at him with a deadpan expression.

"You don't actually think we'd let you go alone, right?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"We've got your back, Aang," Sokka said, the corner of his lips twitching into a soft smile. Within minutes, the whole gang was heading west towards the Fire Nation.

The sun was moving faster than usual. Charlie ended up taking a nap for a few hours, exhausted after pulling two all-nighters in a row. In all honesty, she had no idea how she was still functioning. When she reawakened, feeling more refreshed, the sun was already high in the air, despite only sleeping for around four hours. Sitting up while rubbing her eyes, Sokka suggested that they must be getting close to Fire Nation waters. While Aang directed Appa, Charlie scooted over to the back of the saddle, peeking over the edge, looking for any sign of land. Katara did the same, sitting beside her to keep a lookout below, and Sokka watched from the opposite edge of the saddle.

Aang gave the reins a quick shake. "Come on, boy, there's still a long way to go, we've gotta move faster!" he said, getting a grunt in reply from Appa. With a strong flick of his tail, Appa sped up, flying faster through the clouds.

"Woah!" Charlie exclaimed, not ready for the change in pace. She lost her balance as her grip on the saddle loosened, colliding into their stack of supplies face-first.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked, shuffling to her side. Charlie pushed herself up, waving off the girl.

"I'm good," she insisted, quickly becoming distracted by a familiar dark metal boat, topped with a bright red flag. "But we've got company." Charlie pointed at the distant ship which was quickly gaining speed.

"Can't Appa go any faster!" Sokka asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Aang looked over his shoulder, calling back, "He's going as fast as he can!"

Charlie's eyes widened as she saw a bright orange flame light on the deck of the ship. "What the hell is that?" she asked, squinting her eyes. Katara looked over the back of the saddle, letting out a gasp when the fire shot towards them rapidly.

"Fireball!" she shouted out, causing Aang to tug Appa harshly to the right. The fireball narrowly missed them, leaving behind the terrible stench of the blast jelly that covered the rock. Charlie buried her face inside the nook of her arm, her eyes watering at the smell.

"Oh my god that reeks, what is that stuff _made_ from—"

"We need to get out of Zuko's range!" Katara ordered, crawling closer to Aang.

"There's just one little problem..." The airbender trailed off, looking ahead of him.

"What now?" Sokka groaned out, hanging his head back in defeat. "Can't we catch a break?"

"A blockade." Just beyond them, hundreds of Fire Nation ships twice the size of Zuko's sailed oppositely in two lines, blocking their path. Charlie let out a defeated sigh, her mouth hanging slightly open.

Almost completely synchronised, the catapults were armed and fired, sending thirty flaming cannonballs their way. "You've gotta be kidding me."

Aang flicked the reins, shouting, "Yip yip!" as he maneuvered them through the fire, having to dodge harshly as two collided, causing an explosion that surrounded them in a cloud of smoke.

Charlie let out a violent cough, slapping a hand over her mouth to keep the smoke out, while Sokka and Katara distinguished the residual fires that had caught on Appa's fur before they spread. Aang pulled them upwards, using the heavy clouds as a temporary shelter from the attacks. It was only seconds before another set of fireballs were launched, penetrating the clouds from underneath them. The four let out a scream in unison as one narrowly missed them, forcing Aang to loop around the explosion.

She held on tight to the lip of the saddle, but Sokka wasn't so lucky, slipping out into mid-air. "Sokka!" Katara shouted out, while Charlie leapt forward to grab his arm. She was only able to brush his fingertips before he fell out of reach, letting out a scream of terror as he plummeted downwards. Aang was quick to jerk Appa's reins, diving them straight down after him. The force of the gravity kept Charlie and Katara pinned to the back corners of the saddle, hooking under a falling Sokka. She stuck her foot under the leather straps holding down their supplies to balance herself before standing up, stretching her hand out to Sokka.

Charlie's hand clenched onto his with an unbreaking grip, reinforcing her hold with a second hand. He gripped onto her tightly as Karata held Charlie down, pulling her back to drag her brother into the saddle. After a long second, Sokka collapsed on top of them both with a yelp, clutching his heart while he wheezed to catch his breath.

Appa crashed into the water, dragging his legs through the surface before pushing himself up again, flying just above the ocean. As soon as Sokka sat up, a fish jumped from the water, slapping him in the face and throwing him back down.

"Nice catch," Charlie laughed out, clapping a hand to his shoulder. She didn't let her voice tremble, pushing down the anxiety that came from watching him free fall.

"Thanks, Charlie," Sokka said dryly, staring blankly up at the clouds.

They had no time to talk, though, being flung to the side of the saddle as Aang twisted them through another belt of fireballs. Just when they thought they'd passed through, one last shot was taken at them. When it got too close for comfort, Aang leapt off Appa, spinning in mid-air, and completely obliterating the flaming rock with a side kick of air. The fireball crumbled to dust around them as Aang fell back onto Appa, allowing them to fly freely through the blockade.

"We—we made it!" Aang announced in shock, twisting around to stare at the three. Charlie had crawled to the back edge of the saddle, starting at the closest ship with a maniacal smile. She could spot those side-burns from a mile away.

Zhao stood there, glowering at the gang as they flew past, and Charlie couldn't help but laugh at his face. She stuck her arm out, flashing her middle finger at him with a wide smile before rolling back to join Sokka and Katara.

"I can't believe it. We invaded the Fire Nation," Sokka said in an airy tone of disbelief, sitting on his legs.

"Sweet," Charlie drawled out with a smirk, ignoring the comical expression of shock slapped onto his face.

After another undistinguished chunk of time spent flying, Aang perked up. "There it is!" he cheered, breaking their silence. Charlie sat up and peered over his shoulder to see the crescent-shaped volcanic island. Lava trickled down from its highest point, flowing like a river underneath a polished stone bridge. The Fire Temple was the only structure on the island, standing tall just shy of the active volcano.

They landed at the base of the bridge, hiding Appa behind a conveniently-shaped rock that blocked his view. Sokka was the first to jump off, stretching his arms and back with some starfish-like poses. Charlie raised her arms over her head in a stretch too, cracking her neck.

"Nice flying, buddy," Aang commented, giving Appa a pat between his eyes. The bison groaned in response, flopping over onto his back.

Katara rubbed his stomach affectionately as he flopped his tongue out lazily. "Awh, you must be tired," she cooed.

"No actually, I'm great! Ready to fight some firebenders," Sokka cheered through a sequence of stretches, extending his arms to crack his fingers in jest. Katara gave her brother a sour look.

"I was talking to Appa," she said dryly, placing a hand on her hip.

Sokka froze for a second before flailing his arms rapidly. "W—well, _I_ was talking to Charlie," he sputtered out, gesturing to her in defence.

Charlie blinked at him before turning away to pat Momo between the ears, pretending not to hear him. "You hear something?" she asked the lemur obnoxiously loudly, making sure Sokka could hear.

"Charlie, you could have backed me up for at least a second," Sokka wined, hanging his arms loosely by his sides.

"And miss a perfectly good opportunity to let you embarrass yourself? No thanks," Charlie chirped back, not sparing him a glance. "I've got a reputation to uphold."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

Together, the four rushed up the bridge towards the Fire Temple, Momo sitting on Sokka's shoulder for the lift. The temple was a multi-tiered imperialistic building sitting alone atop the volcanic island. There was no door, only a giant metallic archway which glowed a bright shade of red due to the lanterns lining the walls. Charlie followed behind Aang, walking on the balls of her feet with light steps as they crept through the entrance hall.

"Wait!" Sokka whispered out, holding his arm in front of them. "I think I hear something."

Hearing a shuffle behind them, Charlie spun around and saw the five Fire Sages standing in v-formation like a boyband. She raised an eyebrow sceptically at the old men who posed with their fists clenched.

"We are the Fire Sages," the guy in the middle began dramatically, failing to intimidate her. "Guardians of the Temple of the Avatar."

"Great!" Aang cheered, stepping in front of Charlie. "I am the Avatar!"

"We know," the Sage growled out. He deepened his stance, raising his palms before twisting into a punch, shooting out a burst of flames which head directly for them.

Aang gasped, performing a quick windmill-like action with his arms which dispersed the flames around them. "I'll hold them off, run!" he ordered in a loud, panicked voice over his shoulder before starting another attack.

Without hesitation, Charlie turned on her heel and took off at a dead sprint into the maze of hallways, making sure the siblings weren't too far behind. She took sharp breaths in and out, feeling her heart pump the adrenaline through her body. Before she could reach the end of the hall, Aang slid out in front of her from a doorway to the left.

"Aang? How the hell'd you get in front of us?" Charlie asked breathlessly, clutching at her heart.

"Just follow me!" he said, sliding around a corner.

"Do you know where you're going?" Sokka called out.

"Does it matter?" Charlie interjected loudly. "I'd rather focus on not getting caught right now!"

Moments later, Aang came back around the corner, grabbing Sokka and Katara's wrists, half-pulling them in the other direction. "Wrong way!"

Charlie ran after them but paused to spare a glance behind her. One of the Fire Sages slid to a stop around the corner, calling out "Wait! Come back!"

"Oh, hang on a minute," Charlie muttered in realisation, coming to face the one Fire Sage who was supposed to help Aang. His name started with M—Muji? Or maybe it was Mushu.

She didn't have time to mull it over before Sokka was back at her side, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and tugging her so strongly she almost tripped over her feet. He pulled her into a run, twisting around another corner. It was almost comical how much running she was being forced into, leaving her a wheezing mess.

"Sokka, wait!" she tried shouting breathlessly, legs feeling heavy underneath her. The force of their speed almost flung her into the wall when they were confronted with a dead end. Charlie doubled over at the waist, sucking deep breaths in to force as much oxygen as possible down her throat. "G—guys, would you—" They didn't hear her though, getting into a fighting stance. She took in a deep breath, shouting, "Could you guys just slow down for one second, please?!"

All eyes turned to look at Charlie as she slumped her back against the wall. Karata peered over at her, asking, "Are you okay?"

Charlie waved her off with a limp hand before twisting to look at Mushu. "He's trying to help us, he's on our side," she explained quickly, swallowing a gulp of air. Her frizzy hair stuck to the side of her face, now coated in a light sheen of sweat.

"Well, that would have been nice to know earlier," Sokka commented, standing up straighter.

"If you gave me more than two seconds, I could have _told_ you." Charlie readjusted herself on the wall when she started to slip, pushing her fringe back through her hair. "I had a vision," she lied easily. "We can trust him."

Aang gave her a slow nod of gratitude. "If Charlie trusts you, then so do I," he said, dropping his arms and giving Mushu a small bow.

In response, he got on his hands and knees into a formal bow. "I know why you're here, Avatar. You wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can take you to him."

When he stood back up, Aang stared at him with a look of slight disbelief. "How?" he asked.

Mushu reached out to his left, grabbing the imperialistic red wall lamp and shifting it to the side. He placed his palm over a hole it exposed, pumping a shot of fire into it. The heat of the flames travelled into the wall next to it, causing a hidden metal door to slide open on its own. It revealed a tunnel carved into the stone, paved by polished sapphire stairs leading downwards.

The five ran into the opening, hurrying down the pathway until they reached an underground cavern. As they rushed through it, the Fire Sage admitted the history of the Fire Temple and his loyalty to the Avatar.

"Also, what's your name?" Katara asked, speed walking beside the man.

"My name is Shyu."

Charlie's eyes shot to him. " _Shyu?_ Man, I was way off," she mumbled to herself, hearing a stream of lava bubble nearby.

They neared a spiralling staircase, which led back up into the temple. Shyu pushed at a loose slab on the roof when they reached the top of the stairs, pushing it to the side before quickly climbing through. Charlie jogged up the remaining stairs, finding herself in a large room with red glazed floors, lined with giant bronze dragon pillars.

"Oh no," Shyu muttered out, staring at the ruby doors, encrusted with a metallic Fire Nation symbol. The four sliding to a stop behind him.

"What's wrong?" Aang asked, stepping forward.

"The sanctuary doors. They're locked," he explained. Aang's eyes widened, jumping in front of the group to try to pry the doors open, but they didn't budge.

"Can't you just open them?" Katara asked with furrowed brows. Her question was answered with a shake of his head.

"No. Only a fully-realized Avatar can open the door—or five simultaneous blasts from the Fire Sages."

Sokka rubbed his chin for a moment, and Charlie could practically see the mental cogs turning in his head as he came up with a plan. "Five fire blasts, huh?" he muttered to himself, a smile starting to form on his face. "I think I've got an idea."

Five-impromptu oil bombs later, the four took shelter behind the dragon pillars as Shyu lit the oil-soaked twine. Sokka clenched the fabric of his sister's dress from his kneeling position on the floor, while Charlie squatted behind him, peeking over his shoulder.

The explosions shook the room, and the sound it made echoed throughout the entire temple, but in the end, the doors remained closed.

Shyu sighed, dropping his head down. Aang clenched his fist and grit his teeth before throwing an air slice at the metal doors. He threw another, and another, all while forcing out, "Why—won't—it—open!" The last blast shook the doors and threw a flying Momo straight into Charlie's face.

"Aang, stop!" Katara called out, pulling at his arm before he could throw another attack. "There's no use, it won't work."

Aang was quick to calm down, hanging his head in guilt. "I'm sorry I put you through all this for nothing," he whispered out.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Charlie said, peeling Momo off her face.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, his fingers covered in soot from where he wiped at the blast-residue on the sanctuary doors.

"It may not have worked, but it sure looks like it did." She saw his eyes slowly widen with realization as she moved closer to him. He bounced on the spot with a childish glee for a second, flailing his arms.

"New plan!" he announced with a wide grin on his face. "Give me Momo!" She was already ahead of him, holding the lemur out from under his arms for Sokka to grab. He was quick to take Momo from her, running over to the sanctuary doors, finding he was small enough to slip through the fire passages and into the room.

"I don't understand, what's happening right now?" Aang asked, glancing at Katara in confusion, who only shrugged in response.

"The Sages probably heard the last blast, and are on their way here," Sokka began as Momo disappeared into the sanctuary. "They'll think Aang got inside and will have to open it because that's what it _looks_ like happened."

"Sokka, you're a genius!" Katara said with a gasp.

"Thank you," he said with a prideful face, dusting off his hands.

The sound of footsteps and the clamouring of metal armour alerted them to the presence of more people coming closer. "The Sages!" Shyu gasped out, looking down the hall, where they hadn't yet appeared.

"When the door's open, Aang, make a run for it," Sokka demanded, turning to face the airbender who nodded in response.

"Everyone hide!" Charlie ordered, hearing the footsteps grow closer.

As Katara and Sokka hid together, Charlie stuck with Aang, following him behind the pillar furthest to the left. It was only seconds before the remaining Fire Sages came running into the hall, sliding to a stop in front of the grand sanctuary doors. Shyu was quick to play along with the lie, explaining that the Avatar had gotten inside, using Sokka's scorch marks and Momo's shadow as false proof.

Charlie quickly turned away, putting her back to the pillar, keeping an eye out for Zuko. She knew he would come to stop Aang, but she decided it was her place to stop the prince first.

Hearing the Fire Sages preparing to open the doors, Aang poked his head around the pillar, getting ready to run. The screech of metal scratching against itself signalled the opening of the sanctuary doors, so she pushed Aang to make a run for it while Katara, Sokka and Shyu held back the Sages. Aang stumbled at the force but picked himself up with a blast of airbending.

When Charlie turned back around, she found herself staring at the scarred prince, who glared at her with his permanent scowl. "A second too late, Zuko," she chuckled out, quirking the corner of her lips upwards. His eye twitched, right before he loud out an angered growl, pulling his arm back to fight. Before he even had the chance to throw fire, Charlie took a step forward and tackled him to the ground, wrapping her arms around his middle in a football-esque manner. Zuko let out an involuntary yelp and lost his breath as he hit the floor. She looked up, seeing Aang leap into the sanctuary where the doors clamped shut automatically behind him with a flash of white light.

Charlie let out a sigh of relief but hit the ground hard seconds later when Zuko had flipped her over, holding his palm up threateningly. A sharp pain shot through her head as it collided with the ruby floors, causing Charlie to wince and shout out in pain. It gave her a small concussion, sending her eyes into an unfocused blur. She tried to readjust her vision by squinting through the pain, but around his raised wrist, Charlie spotted a hazy flash of blue, cloaked by Zuko's armour. She didn't have time to mull it over before being forced up by the prince and chained to a pillar alongside the siblings.

Zuko stormed up to the other Fire Sages with a fierce expression. "Open the doors!" he ordered, leading them into sending five fire blasts towards the metal passages. Their efforts proved unsuccessful when the door remained sealed shut. "Why isn't it working?"

"It must have been the light—Avatar Roku mustn't want us inside," one of the more irrelevant Sages rasped out.

"No shit, man," Charlie interjected from the side, unable to suppress her involuntary eye roll.

"Stop talking, peasant!"

"Wow, harsh. Really, I'm hurt. Deeply offended even. That settles it—you're dead to me. Once I'm out of these chains, it's all over for you," she deadpanned, staring evenly at Zuko.

"You won't be leaving anytime soon," he growled in a way that was supposed to come across as threatening, but Charlie wasn't fazed.

"You could be right. Apart from the fact that you're wrong," she said flippantly, relaxing her weight against the pillar. She crossed one leg over the other from beneath the chains. Charlie snickered, watching his face heat up with anger.

"Charlie, I don't think we're in the best position to be antagonising the enemy," Katara stated softly, looking at her worriedly.

"Yeah don't worry, Aang's gonna pop out of there soon enough all over-powered and whatever, those old guys won't stand a chance," she told them honestly. "No offence, Mushu," she added as an after-thought, sparing a glance to the helpful Fire Sage bound on the floor next to them. "I'm sure you're not that old."

"That's not my name—"

Zuko cut him off, storming up to the guy with a pointed finger. "You! Mushu—why did you help the Avatar?"

He blinked once at the prince in disbelief before shaking his head. "It was once the Sage's duty. It is _still_ our duty," he breathed out in a deep tone.

A slow clap echoed throughout the room. Charlie arched her neck, peeking around the pillar to see Zhao walking towards them, six soldiers following behind him. "What a moving and heartfelt performance," Zhao said, eyebrows raised with false sincerity. His face began to shift into something more menacing, twisting his lips into a cruel smirk. "I'm sure the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him."

"Commander Zhao," one of the Sages gasped out, falling into a deep bow.

"And Prince Zuko," Zhao continued, turned to face the angered teen. "It was a noble effort, but your little smokescreen didn't work." He crossed his arms slowly over his armour, letting out an oddly satisfied chuckle. "Two traitors in one day. The Fire Lord will be pleased."

Two of the guards circled Zuko, grabbing his arms from behind before he lunged at the commander. "You're too late, Zhao," he said through gritted teeth. "The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed."

Zhao took another step closer to Zuko, looking down at him with a patronising smile. "No matter," he said casually, sparing a glance for the sanctuary doors. "Sooner or later, he has to come out."

"The amount of confidence you're showing is truly inspiring, Zhao, really—especially in the face of definite loss." Eyes snapped to Charlie, including those of Zhao, who's narrowed into slits.

"Have you no respect, _girl?_ " he growled.

"For you?" Charlie leaned forwards slightly, staring at him evenly. "No."

"You insubordinate little—"

"Well, that's a new one."

Zhao inhaled sharply, his face morphing from one of anger to a sly smile that made her immensely uncomfortable before turning to his soldiers. "Men, chain up Prince Zuko. I don't want him getting in my way again. Then guard the doors, and when they open, unleash _all_ of your fire power." Zhao turned his head to glance lazily over his shoulder, his back to Charlie. "Maybe that'll teach you something about respect."

Charlie's jaw clenched, her head twitching to the side in anger. "Are you _sure_ Aang will get out of this alive?" Sokka whispered from the corner of his mouth, staring at the doors with wide eyes. She softened her expression slightly, sparing him a glance to ease his anxiety.

"Positive. He's got Avatar Roku on his side."

The guards tugged Zuko to the pillar next to them, restraining him with chains pulled tightly around him. Zhao stalked over to him confidently, looking down at the prince. "I warned you not to get in my way, Zuko. You'll only get burned." He paused for a moment as Zuko glowered, raising a hand to gesture to the scarred portion of the prince's face. "What, too soon?"

Well, that didn't happen in the show.

Zhao turned casually on his heel after throwing out a smirk, ordering the soldiers to get in a defensive stance around the door. As if right on cue, a cloud of heavy smoke erupted with a hiss as the door cracked ajar, lighting up the room with a blinding white light. Charlie winced away from the brightness, squinting her eyes shut.

"Ready..." she heard Zhao call out in a gruff tone as the doors opened further, revealing two glowing eyes and arrows behind the dark interior of the sanctuary.

"No! Aang!" Katara shouted in fear for her friend, twisting to get herself out of the chains.

"Fire!" Zhao ordered, shifting into a deeper stance as he jutted out a fist, the other soldiers following in suit. Seven simultaneous jets of fire spurt from their arms, sending a swirling wall of flames towards the figure. Charlie could feel the heat from where she stood, making her face and front burn. The wall of flames turned into a spiralling sphere as Avatar Roku emerged from within, dispersing the fire with the slow spreading of his arms. Charlie only wished she could see Zhao's expression, but she didn't need to—she already knew.

Avatar Roku brought his arms in, collecting the fire around him before thrusting it out, sending the soldiers flying back, and somehow melting the metal chains which bound them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Zuko bolt as soon as he got the chance. Roku shot his head frighteningly fast towards the Fire Sages who all turned to run off screaming in response.

"Avatar Roku will destroy the whole temple, we need to get out of here," Shyu explained quickly, trying to convince them.

"Not without Aang," Katara ordered, her voice unwavering.

Charlie looked back at Avatar Roku just in time to see him lavabending a crack which ran across the entire length of the temple, causing a heavy rumble to shake them where they stood. She lost her balance, falling straight to the ground before being dragged behind a pillar by Sokka. Charlie wrapped her arms around her head as lava exploded from the underground passages straight up through the temple, causing debris to crumble from the ceiling.

When the intense shaking simmered down, Charlie peeked her head around the pillar, seeing the thick clouds suck back inwards around Avatar Roku until they cleared, leaving a weak Aang to collapse on the floor. The three ran to him, Sokka propping him back on his feet, looping an arm under his shoulders.

"We got you, Aang," he said as the boy began coming back to a state of consciousness.

"Thanks," Aang breathed out, looking around. "Where's Shyu?"

"I don't know," Katara admitted, putting a supporting arm around him as they started moving towards a gaping hole in the wall that was created at some point during the destruction. Just in time, Appa flew down from the sky, led by Momo who donned one of the Fire Sage's hats. He hovered just beyond the hole as they jumped out, landing hard on Appa's saddle before taking off, the Fire Temple sinking into a pit of lava.

A few hours later, the sky was a deep hue of purple, illuminated by the light of the full moon. No one had spoken much since they'd left the temple, but they didn't need to. The silence was comforting enough on its own, and much appreciated, given her throbbing head. Aang sat at the back of the saddle, facing away from the others, who shared a knowing look. Charlie knew at this point that the extent of his place in the war was finally dawning on him and becoming clear.

Katara was the first to move, shuffling over to wrap her arms around the airbender, followed shortly after by Sokka carefully sitting next to her. He stretched his arm around his sister, where it also fell onto Aang's shoulder, forming a loose group hug. Momo had also joined their pile, curling up in Sokka's lap. Charlie watched on, biting her lip in contemplation.

It all felt so intimate and private, making her hesitant in joining them. She justified her spot at the front of the saddle by the fact that she wasn't much of a hugger anyways. But when her body involuntarily shivered from the cool breeze, making the hair on her arms stick up, Katara sent a glance her way. The waterbender tilted her head, gesturing for Charlie to join them. At first, she shook her head, not wanting to intrude on their moment, but Katara had insisted. She broke one arm away from Aang and waved her over, making Charlie unable to refuse.

After another moment of hesitation, she tentatively shuffled forwards, sitting by Sokka's side, arms wrapped around her legs. Slowly, she leant her back against his, taking a moment to settle into the unfamiliar position. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut for a moment when she felt Sokka tense under her, but relaxed as he shifted more of his weight back onto her. They held each other up, supporting one another, and using their radiant body heat for warmth. Charlie hated admitting it, but it was the most comfortable she'd been in a while. She dipped her head and let the smile spread across her face, not worried about the others seeing. Normally, she would have tried harder to hide her smile, but no one was facing her.

The aching pain in her head finally subsided. Charlie let out a deep breath as her shoulders dropped, and her eyelids growing heavy. Showing her real, raw emotions wasn't something she was used to, but at that moment, she couldn't help but feel totally accepted, even if they were—in reality—just characters. Charlie didn't really know what was going on, why she was there, or even how. But, it felt real enough. Just then, Charlie made a promise to herself to savour every moment of it as long as she possibly could.

She looked out at the beautiful night sky one last time before closing her eyes, growing a darker shade of blue as the sun dipped further below the mountains. It was a cloudy night, not clear at all, but it didn't matter to her. The sky was more than just stars.

**Soundtrack**

Holy Grail by Dead Posey || Sokka says they’re getting close to the Fire Nation, Zuko attacks them, then they run the blockade

Shine A Little Light by The Black Keys || Shyu sees the sanctuary doors are shut and Charlie hides with Aang then attacks Zuko

And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop by James Vincent McMorrow || Charlie notes how the sky is purple as they’re flying off at the end. The chorus should hit when Charlie leans on Sokka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, this was a super draining chapter for me to write. Probably because it’s all action scenes. I tried extending on a few talking parts so she wouldn’t just be standing around, but yeah. Anyways leave a like or comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> Also here's a sketch of the cuddle at the end: https://like-islands.tumblr.com/post/630517050438189057/heres-a-cute-little-piece-from-the-end-of-chapter


	7. The Pirates

Mountain tops speckled with flat-topped trees peeked through the thick layer of fog they flew over, golden light streams beaming through gaps in the light clouds above. The morning sun gave a pink glow to everything it touched, but did nothing to calm the young Avatar, still troubled by their previous night's revelations.

Sokka had taken over flying when it was clear the airbender was unfocused, having almost flown them in the wrong direction. He sat in the crook of Appa's neck, holding onto the leather reins attached to the bison's horns. Charlie sat with her back against the front ledge of the saddle close to Sokka, while Katara and Momo were opposite her, leaning against their supplies.

"Hey, Aang?" Charlie called out worriedly, staring at the boy pacing around in circles on Appa's saddle. "You doing okay over there?"

"Yes! No. I don't know, maybe?" he rushed out, twiddling his thumbs and fingers.

Charlie raised her eyebrow. "Are you aware you just gave every possible answer for that question?" She was only met with a look of distress before his pacing speed increased. She flipped over onto her stomach, letting her arms fall over the lip of the saddle. "He's lost it," she muttered to Sokka, who tilted his head back to look at her.

He let out an exasperated sigh, twisting his body to get a better view of the airbender. "Aang, would you sit down?! If we hit a bump, you'll go flying off."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, there's just so many things on my mind right now," he admitted, looking down at Sokka. "Like what Avatar Roku said—how I'm supposed to master all four elements before the comet arrives. That's less than a year away!"

Sokka looked back in front of him with a playful smirk. "Well, let's see. You pretty much mastered airbending—and that only took you a hundred and twelve years. I'm sure you can master three more elements by next summer."

"But I haven't even _started_ waterbending, let alone earth and fire, and we're still weeks away from the North Pole. What am I gonna do?" Aang quickly fell back into a panicking spiral, pacing around in circles again and throwing out his arms in frustration. Before he could start another loop around the saddle, his ankle caught onto Charlie's extended leg, sending him tumbling face-first into the leather. If anything, the fact that he didn't airbend to break his fall was an indication of his current mental state.

Sokka whipped back around at the sound, grabbing onto the lip of the saddle that Charlie was pressed up against to check on Aang. "What did I tell you thirty seconds ago?"

"Sorry," Aang said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you alright?" Katara inquired softly, coaxing him to sit in front of her, so close that their knees were touching. "Calm down, it's gonna be okay." Aang almost instantly relaxed his shoulders as she slid her hands into his, resting them on his lap.

Charlie's mouth formed a small 'oh', quickly turning away to give them some privacy. She lifted herself over the lip of the saddle, plopping down on Appa's head next to Sokka, who greeted her with a weird look. "Their eye-flirting is getting too intense for me."

"I'm not following," Sokka said blankly with a raised eyebrow.

Charlie rolled her eyes heavily, settling her back into Appa's fur. "Doesn't take a genius to figure those two out."

"Wha—those two? _Together?_ " Sokka inquired in an unnecessary whisper, pointing over his shoulder with wide eyes.

She nodded back slowly, whispering, "Yeah, _those two._ " She crossed her arms over her chest, propping up one knee before changing back to a normal speaking volume. "Not right now, obviously—I mean they practically just met. But eventually, yeah."

Katara popped her head over the saddle, making Sokka jump. "Hey guys. We need to find a good source of water—I'm gonna teach Aang waterbending," she explained, looking between the teenagers. "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing," Sokka said without hesitation in an unnaturally high voice.

Charlie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He's being weird, ignore him."

"Oh, so the usual then," Katara giggled out, pushing herself back to sit next to Aang again.

"Let's just find you two a puddle to splash around in," Sokka quipped dryly. With a whip of the reins, he guided Appa down into the fog until it cleared away.

In the middle of the forest, a mountain dipped into a wide lagoon lined by deep green pine trees. Charlie could smell them in the air surrounding her, making the air seem pure. The water was so clear and pristine that she could see straight through to its sandy base, obscured only by ribbons of bright blue ripples emitted from the waterfall. It crashed down from the walls covering the top of the lagoon, humidifying the air with speckles of water. The riverbed was pure stone, ensuring their shoes weren't muddied by sodden dirt. It evoked a sense of tranquillity—the perfect resting spot after last night's endeavours.

"Nice puddle," Sokka commented with a raised eyebrow, unable to break his gaze from the waterfall before them.

"No kidding," Charlie added in awe while holding the strap of her bag loosely, stunned by the beauty of the lagoon. Appa flipped his tail ecstatically, rising high into the air before plummeting belly-first into the lake, sending a wave which took down Momo.

"Don't start without me, buddy!" Aang called out, stripping out of his clothes and preparing to jump into the lake alongside his bison. Before he could, Katara side-stepped in front of him.

"Remember the reason we're here."

Aang turned around sheepishly, rubbing a hand on his neck. "Oh, right. Time to practice waterbending."

"Great," Sokka said dryly, throwing his hands out in indignation. "So what are we supposed to do?" He gestured between himself and Charlie, flipping his hand lazily.

"You could—" Aang wriggled his pants back up, bending over to pick up two fallen tree branches with a bushel of leaves attached to them. "—Clean the gunk out of Appa's toes?"

"So while you two are playing around in the water, Charlie and I are supposed to pick mud out of a giant bison's feet?" Sokka crossed his arms with a small frown as Charlie made a face.

"And bugs!" he cheered, holding out the branches.

Sokka shrugged casually, taking one from Aang with an, "Okay."

Charlie grabbed the thin piece of wood but shook her head in distaste. "No thanks, mud and bugs isn't really my thing. Have fun with that, though," she said, shoving her branch into Sokka's chest. He let out a sound of offence, flailing his arms to juggle both branches before they fell.

"Charlie—come on, don't make me do this alone!" he whined through the leaves.

She stepped forward and clapped a hand to his shoulder, giving him a comforting nod. "Hey. I believe in you. No one can clean Appa's toes like you can." Charlie promptly turned on her heel and walked away from him. Sokka groaned behind her, shuffling to the lake's edge and calling Appa over. She watched for a moment as he struggled to climb the bison, almost slipping, but managing to pull himself up into a standing position on his stomach with a huff.

Charlie propped her hands on her hips for a moment in contemplation as she looked around. Spotting a low, flat spot in the stone which lined the lake, she walked over to it before rolling up her pant legs to her knees and throwing her shoes over her shoulder. Charlie plopped her legs into the water with a small splash, soaking up the sun. She let her bag of clothes hit the floor next to her, still fastened around her shoulder. She kicked her legs around softly, watching as Appa floated by with Sokka on his stomach. Looking next to her, she saw the pile of supplies sitting, having been unstrapped from Appa's saddle. A small, brown pouch caught her eye. Charlie leaned over and grabbed it, pulling the strings open to find a collation of some kind of thin, brown food.

"Hey, Sokka!" she called out, pulling a piece from the pouch. When Sokka paused his scrubbing to look over at her, Charlie waved the food in the air for him to see. "What's this?"

"Blubbered seal jerky," he shouted back, waving his branch at her. "But don't eat it—it's mine!"

Charlie held eye contact, taking a bite out of the blubbered seal jerky. "Huh? I can't hear you, I'm chewing too loud," she said monotonously through a mouthful of dried meat. With unexpected surprise, she looked down at the jerky in her hand. It wasn't too bad. The smoky quality reminded her of bacon, paired with the standard tough-but-chewy texture of generic jerky.

"Charlie," Sokka whined, hanging his arms loosely in defeat as Charlie took another purposeful bite.

She only laughed, waving him off. "Calm down, man, I'll save you some."

"Yeah," he said with an eye roll. "That's really assuring, Charlie, thank you for that."

"You're welcome." Charlie shoved her hand back inside the pouch, pulling out another piece of the jerky when a shadow cast over her. She looked up, eyes going wide when she saw a giant tsunami-like wave growing behind Sokka. Seeing her expression, Sokka turned around to face the source.

"Aang," he called out slowly as the peak of the comically large wave extended over his head. Charlie braced herself for impact, and less than a second later, the water crashed down over them both. When she opened her eyes, she was completely soaked, water dripping from her hair. Appa groaned in annoyance, causing Charlie to look over and find that Sokka had been washed away by the force of the wave. He poked his head out of the water in front of her with a deadpan expression.

"That's enough practising for today," Katara muttered with an expression of annoyance, turning away from Aang.

"Yeah, I'll say!" Sokka shouted to her, still sunken in the water. "You just practised our supplies down the river."

"Don't worry," Charlie said, holding out her hand assuringly. "I saved the blubbered seal jerky."

"What a relief," Sokka drawled before slowly sinking himself back under the water's surface, a trail of bubbles popping in his place.

"Sorry, guys," Aang said with a bashful smile. "I'm sure we can find somewhere to replace our stuff."

"There's a trading village around somewhere," Charlie supplied, standing up to wring out her shirt. It had been turned a dark green by the water, clinging uncomfortably to her skin. Aang was quick to jump over the lake with a small puff of air to guide him, landing with a bounce in front of her. With a warm air blast, he tried her off in seconds. "Thanks, Aang."

He offered her a bright smile before turning back to Katara, who was using conveniently placed stones to cross back over the lake towards them. "We should go find that village," Aang suggested while Sokka crawled out of the lake. He dramatically flopped on the stone, water seeping out of his hair and clothes.

"My life was hard enough when you were just an airbender," Sokka sighed in exasperation, letting himself stick to the ground. Charlie moved by his side and peeled up his arm, signalling his to stand—which he reluctantly did.

He turned his head to Charlie, who held a small pouch in one hand. "Blubbered seal jerky?" she offered with a teasing smile, letting out a laugh as he snatched it away from her with an unenthusiastic grumble. 

Following the river downstream, they arrived at a bustling pier. Large wooden ships were docked at every post, guarded by men and women littered with scars. The village itself was run-down, small shacks next to each other filled to the brim with trinkets, food and traded goods, fronted by merchants from what seemed to be all corners of the world—judging by the colours of their clothes. Charlie remained vigilant, keeping a hand over her bag to ensure it wouldn't be stolen by a con artist.

The people seemed almost pitiful—some sitting along under their conical straw hats, staring at those passing with dark eyes. Charlie's eyes widened at one Fire Nation soldier who stared down in distaste at his plate of food, physically unable to eat it because he was missing an arm, completely removed from his shoulder. She tore her eyes away, passing a woman donned in light blue who lifted and shook a smaller man by his collar while he begged to be put down.

Hearing some commotion from ahead, Charlie slowed down, the rest of the gang behind her matching pace. "Who's brave enough to take a look in this bag?" an older man rasped out, standing atop a bench with a blue pouch in his grip and fishing it over the heads of those gathered.

"Okay, keep it moving guys," Charlie said, ushering them along. "And be careful, we should probably stick together."

Aang let out a sound of awe at the sight, completely imperceptive of the danger and more entertained by the diversity of those residing on the dock. "Ooh, let's go in here!" Aang suggested, bolting into one of the smaller wooden stores lined with green drapes. Charlie groaned at the sky before trudging off to follow Aang. She was seriously considering bringing back that puppy comparison based on how easily distracted and hyperactive he was.

The back wall of the shop was lined with racks of clothes of all styles and colours in complete disorder. Shelves were packed to the brim with small trinkets and toys, squeezed together to fit into the smallest surface area possible. It was a chaotic mess of a store, but Aang seemed to love it, picking up everything he came by.

Sokka poked his head between Charlie and Katara. "Hey, I'm gonna check out the food store next door. We'll meet out front later." He spun to leave but let out a strangled yelp when Charlie grabbed the back collar of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Hey, hey, did everyone just completely ignore when I said we should stick together?" she questioned, throwing her arms out in dismay while looking between the group.

"Okay. Katara, you watch over Aang, and make sure he doesn't buy anything stupid," he said, waving his hand in the airbenders direction. "Charlie, you're with me."

She pursed her lip but agreed with a nod. Together they left the store and travelled the short distance to the food store, giving a wave to the guy behind the counter. A scar covered his face, crossing over his nose. "Hey, how're you doing?" Sokka asked casually. The man slammed his hooked fist on the table, causing the two to jump while his expression remained unchanging. "Okay, not a talker, that's cool, that's cool," he mumbled, holding his hands up in defence.

Shuffling over to the baskets of fruits and vegetables, Charlie realised she couldn't name half of them. Aside from the obvious apples and watermelons, some fruits were large and covered in yellow spikes, while others were small, bright pink and lumpy.

Her eyes moved over something akin to raisins, but a brighter shade of red. "Sokka, what are these?" she asked, pointing to the pile. He only took a quick glance before returning to placing an assortment of food in his bag.

"Dried goji berries," he answered, inspecting a papaya.

She'd never heard of them before. "Huh," she mumbled, drumming her fingers on the wooden rim of the crate.

Sokka opened and closed his mouth a few times, staring at her for a minute. "Uh, do—do you want some?"

Charlie raised her eyebrow. "Do we have enough money for that?"

Sokka blinked and looked at the fruit in his hands before putting it back in its pile. "We do now. I never really liked papaya anyways."

He grabbed a small pouch and filled it with the dried berries before stalking over to the counter, plopping it down next to his own bag of fruits and vegetables. The guy behind the counter looked at him expressionlessly. "Four silvers."

" _Four?_ What a rip-off," Sokka complained. The guy let out a low growl, broadening his shoulders and caused Sokka to let out a whimper. "I mean, what am I talking about? Four is good! So cheap—best prices on the dock." He slid the money onto the counter before swiping the bags in one arm and pushing Charlie through the door, harshly whispering, "Go, go, go!"

She gave Sokka a strange look when they got outside the store and swatted his hands off her back, finding Aang and Katara leaning against the building. "Hey guys, you get anything cool?" she asked.

"I got this whistle for one copper piece," Aang said, pulling a bison-shaped whistle from behind his back. Sokka covered his years when the airbender took a deep breath in and blew, only for it to hiss quietly.

"It doesn't even work," he said, watching Momo chatter out a complaint from Aang's shoulder. "Even Momo thinks it's a piece of junk. And now we only have two copper pieces left, so we need to spend it wisely."

"Well, let's have a look around at the rest of the stores before we make any decisions," Katara suggested, gesturing to the lake ahead where the boats were docked. Charlie let out a sharp breath, drumming her fingertips on her legs when she saw the pirates in the distance trying to lure passersby into their ship. Even if she wanted to change the story at this point, she couldn't. The repercussions were way too big and unpredictable. Katara wouldn't learn waterbending, Zhao wouldn't hire the pirates, Zuko wouldn't be in the Northern Water Tribe. She wouldn't take that chance.

"Earth Nation! Fire Nation, Water Nation," a pirate clad in green announced, twiddling his thin moustache. "So long as bargains are your _inclination,_ you're welcome here! Don't be shy, come on by!" Charlie grimaced when he ran towards them. "Oh, you there! I can see from your clothing that you're world travelling types. Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?"

"Sure!" Aang piped up. "What are curios?"

"I dunno, but we got 'em!" The pirate wrapped his arm around Aang's shoulders, leading him into the ship with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Ugh, here we go," Charlie muttered to herself, following after Aang. She walked up the plank into the wooden ship, finding herself in a small room littered with unusual ornaments, leaving a small walkway in the middle. It was dark, lit only by a few lanterns hung from the curved wooden roof. Charlie ran her hand over a green fabric that draped over a table as she moved, eyeing a tilted statue of some monk raising its arms.

"Look at this, guys," Katara gasped out. Charlie turned around and glanced over her shoulder, seeing ink-painted figured demonstrative waterbending forms in steps spread out on the table. "It's a waterbending scroll! Check out these crazy moves."

"Where did you get a waterbending scroll?" Aang asked the pirates through a wide smile.

With darkened eyes, a pirate with some kind of bird on his shoulder slammed his hand down, pulling the scroll away from them before rolling it up tightly. "Let's just say I got it up North at a most reasonable price—free." He placed the scroll back into its place on the shelf. Charlie noticed how Katara was still staring at it.

"Wait a minute," Sokka began slowly, rubbing his chin in thought. "Sea-loving traders with suspiciously acquired merchandise, and pet reptile birds?" He grew more agitated as he came to a final realisation, whipping around to the man who led them in. "You guys are pirates!"

"We prefer to think of ourselves as high-risk traders," he said casually, slinging an arm around Sokka. His eyes widened and he twisted out of the man's grip while Katara eyed their last two copper pieces.

"So how much for the uh, _traded_ scroll?" Katara said dryly, looking at the pirate through narrowed eyes.

"I've already got a buyer. A nobleman in the Earth Kingdom." The pirate let a smirk on to his face, leaning onto the table. "Unless of course, you kids have two hundred gold pieces on ya right now."

Aang pulled Katara around and whispered to her softly while Charlie had another look around. There was nothing that piqued her interest, but she found Sokka staring at a wall of boomerangs. "Don't you already have one of these?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yeah, but look how cool they are!" he picked one up carefully, brushing his hand against the metal. "I mean, the craftsmanship on these is amazing, look at the detail of the engravings on this one."

The boomerang was shoved in her face where she was forced to look at the swirly patterns. "You are such a nerd," she said, pushing the weapon away from her.

"Guys, were leaving now," Katara rushed, grabbing their arms and pulling them out of the ship. It was only once they were on the ramp heading out that she let go of them.

"What was that all about, Katara?" Aang asked, skipping to catch up with her.

Sokka nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Charlie and I were just starting to browse through their boomerang collection."

"I'll just feel a lot better once we get away from here," she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hey you, get back here!" a voice shouted from behind.

"Well, well, look who's come to their senses," Aang stated confidently, turning to look at the pirate. Katara, however, backed away in discomfort.

Just when Aang went to walk closer, seven pirates jumped off the ship with a growl, shouting, "There they are!" while chuckling deeply.

"I don't think these pirates are here to trade with us," Katara cried out. Together they turned and ran, the pirates hot on their heels.

Charlie bolted around a corner, weaving her way through the crowd. She looked over her shoulder seeing four pirates following. The others must have gone around to cut them off from the other side. Reaching out to her left, Charlie pulled down a stack of wooden boxes from one of the stores, which crashed to the floor behind her before scrambling off again. However, her attempt only stopped one of them, the other three managing to jump over and continue chasing them.

"This way!" Sokka screamed, leading them right around another corner. Katara bent the water out of a bowl in a store, freezing it on the ground which caused the pirates to slip and crash into each other.

Charlie looked over her shoulder again, finding two pirates still following. "Are you kidding me?!" she shouted through a wheeze, finding herself quickly losing her breath. Stumbling on her feet, she picked up speed to catch up with the others—that was until she saw it. Or, more specifically, until she saw _him._

The cabbage man. Standing there in all his glory, with his refurbished cabbage cart after having been smashed to pieces last time they met. The man grabbed the handles of his cart, preparing to move its location, but was forced to pull it back when Sokka and Katara squeezed by, narrowly avoiding knocking into it. Charlie, however, passed the cart before sliding to a stop, unable to force down the malicious smile that rose on her lips. It only took an instant for the cabbage man to recognise her, his expression morphing into one of horror.

"No, not you again! Get away from my cabbages!" he screamed, frantically throwing himself in between his cart and her.

Charlie didn't even have to do anything, watching Aang flip over the cart, twisting in the air, then bringing down his staff to send an air slice towards the pirates through the path of most efficiency—straight through the cabbages. It flew backwards down the alley, crashing into the two pirates following them and flinging them into the ground.

"My cabbages!" he shrieked, clutching his head.

Charlie nodded in satisfaction before turning on her heel and running after the rest of the gang, but not before shouting over her shoulder, "That's for Omashu, asshole!"

When she caught up, three more pirates had already blocked their path. Sokka let out a sound of panic before leading the group back in the direction they came, turning into another alley, but this one was a dead end.

"Now," one began in a sinister tone, turning the corner with his knives in hand. "Who gets to taste the steel of my blades first?"

"No thanks," Aang said strongly, hurling a wave of air towards the pirates, sending them flying back into the wall of the opposing building. "Grab on tight!" he ordered, whipping out the wings of his glider and kicking into a sprint.

"Can this thing hold four people?!" Charlie questioned as they picked up speed.

"Uh, I've never tried! Just hang on!" She didn't have time to respond before Sokka grabbed onto her with one arm and the glider with the other. Letting out a scream of shock, her free arms immediately shot up to grab the tail of the staff. She hung in between the siblings, the three all shouting in fear as they flew over the pirates' heads, narrowly missing the points of their weapons.

Aang had to land on the outskirts of the trading village, unable to keep all of them in the air for any longer. They had to run back to the lagoon, fearful that they'd be followed. As soon as they had reached their camp, Charlie collapsed to the floor.

"Why are we always running? Can we just not have to run away from people for once?" Charlie breathed out heavily, rolling onto her back.

"You know, I kind of used to look up to pirates," Aang admitted, dropping his glider to the floor and leaning against a rock in exhaustion. "But those guys are terrible. Why would they just start chasing us for no reason?"

Katara shuffled over to her brother, reaching into his bag and taking out the waterbending scroll she'd hidden in there with a sly smile. "Probably because I took this."

Aang slid off his rock, gasping out, "No way."

"Wha—Katara! No wonder they were trying to hack us up, you stole their waterbending scroll," Sokka scolded.

Katara crossed her arms, furrowing her eyebrows. "According to _their_ logic, I was high-risk trading. Besides, where do you think _they_ got it? They stole it from a waterbender!"

"That doesn't matter. You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes," Sokka said dryly, wiggling his fingers to emphasise how nonsensical she was.

"These are real waterbending forms," she said strongly, gripping the scroll tighter in her fist. "You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn waterbending."

Sokka only scoffed, muttering, "Whatever." Charlie propped herself up with her elbows, watching as he walked away in frustration. She gave her thighs a quick rub before standing up to follow after the grumbling boy, leaving Aang and Katara to practice waterbending.

Charlie strolled over to where he'd positioned himself on a large rock near the lake, watching as the setting set reflected off the water. "Why are all benders this crazy?" he asked rhetorically. "I don't think we've ever met a normal one."

She only shrugged, shoving him aside lightly so she could lean against the rock next to him. "They're kids, let them have their fun. You'll have to get used to stealing eventually—you guys do it a lot."

"What? Why?"

"Necessity. Pettiness. Entertainment—I dunno, you just do." Charlie popped a dried goji berry into her mouth. "Hey, these are pretty good."

"Hang on, that was still in my bag! When did you—" Sokka looked down at his side where his bag hung from his shoulder, pulling it open to find the pouch missing and in Charlie's hand.

"Picking pockets. Comes in handy."

"Not you too," Sokka groaned out, watching as Charlie bit into a handful of berries. "Who learns stuff like that? Crazy people—that's who. Are you a bender too?"

Charlie snorted and muttered out, "Nah," through a mouthful of goji berries. "To be fair—" She swallowed it down before continuing. "I've never actually tried."

"How have you never tried bending?" Sokka asked with furrowed brows.

She only shrugged, thinking of a way to phrase her answer. "Neither of my parents were benders, and I don't _feel_ like a bender, so I'm pretty sure I'm not."

"Why don't you give it a go?" he suggested with curiosity.

Charlie rolled her eyes, but to humour him, she jumped off the rock. She threw the pouch at Sokka who caught in with a fumble before moving into a fighting stance. Staring at the ground beneath her feet, Charlie jutted her fist towards the sky in an upper-cut. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. "Well I guess that settles that," Charlie chuckled, settling back onto the rock.

"Will you _please_ shut your air hole!" Sokka and Charlie both jumped, staring at Katara in shock as she stormed up to Aang, yelling in pure fury. "Believe it or not, your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes. Why don't we just throw away the scroll since you're _so naturally gifted!"_

Charlie let out a low whistle, causing Katara to shoot her eyes at her and see Sokka's disapproving look paired with Charlie's slight shock.

"What?" she breathed out, with a small shake of her head. Charlie only averted her gaze to Aang, and Katara followed. His grey eyes had gone wide, and his mouth opened and closed a few times as if unsure of what to say. Finally, he shut his mouth, his lips trembling in hurt. "Oh my gosh, Aang, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. But you know what—it won't happen again." Katara rolled up the scroll and held it out for Aang. "Here, this is yours. I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore."

"It's okay, Katara," Aang said with a small smile.

She then squatted by Momo, patting his head. "And I'm sorry for hitting you with water, Momo." The lemur gurgled happily in response, climbing up her arm to her shoulder.

"Hey, what about me?" Sokka started, gesturing to himself. "There was that time that you—"

"No more apologies!" Katara snapped, cutting him off.

Charlie snorted a laugh, throwing a goji berry into her mouth. "Harsh."

They spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around while Aang went through the forms on the waterbending scroll, getting the hang of them pretty quickly. Sokka had set up a small fire when the sun set, and Charlie fell asleep next to it, tucked into her sleeping bag.

She woke up some hours later to Sokka muttering in disbelief while rummaging through his bag. "What's wrong?" she heard Aang asked, rolling over in her sleeping bag to see the commotion.

Sokka tipped his bag over, letting its contents fall to the floor. "She took the scroll," he exclaimed, flailing his arms in disbelief. "She's obsessed with that thing. It's just a matter of time before she gets us all in—" He was abruptly cut short when a rope lassoed around his wrists, and with a rough tug, his body was dragged forwards along the dirt. Three pirates surrounded them, weapons in hand. Charlie gasped and kicked off her sleeping bag, throwing it to the side with her legs while Sokka avoided another whip, rolling to grab his club.

Charlie scrambled to push herself up into a run, scraping a handful of dirt in her fist, following Sokka into the battle. One of the pirates ducked under Sokka's strike, hitting him in the stomach with a wooden baton and sending him crumbling to the floor. When he turned to Charlie, she threw the dirt she had in-hand at his face, letting it blind his eyes as he let out a yell. She ran into him with her shoulder, knocking him to the ground in his moment of distraction.

"I've got him, come on!" another pirate yelled, quickly dragging Aang away in a net.

"Shit," Charlie whispered sharply, not noticing they'd gotten close to him. When she looked back at the pirate with the baton, he was already up and running after his crew.

"Oh, what, we're not good enough to kidnap?" Sokka quipped, lifting himself up. Of course, the universe loved proving him wrong, and with a glare from Charlie, the two were shot at and captured with a single net, falling hard on the ground.

Charlie struggled with the ropes for a minute but was constricted by the lack of space, her back against Sokka's. "Seriously?" she pressed, looking over her shoulder.

"How was I supposed to know they'd come back for us?" Sokka defended in a high tone.

"You should expect it by now, I mean—honestly dude, you have the worst luck ever," she drawled, hissing in pain when they were dragged over a stone.

Sokka let out a loud groan. "I'm not the psychic one here—why didn't you predict this would happen?"

Charlie grimaced behind his back for a moment, thankful he couldn't see her face. "Uh. I forgot."

"What do you mean you forgot?" Sokka said in exasperation, twisting around to try looking at her.

"Well at some point I knew, but now I don't—the concept really isn't that hard to process."

"I know what it means!" he shot back. "I meant howcould you _possibly_ forget that we get captured."

In truth, Charlie had actually forgotten. She in no way had a perfect memory and had only watched the episodes once, meaning some things were easier to remember than others. The big plot points stuck in her mind, along with some of the stand-out dialogue and smaller scenes, but the random transition scenes didn't always come easily. "I dunno. We get captured heaps of times, it's a natural occurrence. Between this and almost being burnt alive in a temple slowly sinking into a pit of lava, it must have slipped my mind."

"Would you be quiet!" the pirate dragging them said with clear annoyance, halting to a stop. At some point during their rambling, the pirates had dragged them to the edge of the forest just before the shore where their large wooden ship was docked.

"Speaking from personal experience, no she cannot," Sokka stated pragmatically.

"Hey, you kidnapped _us,_ dude,now you've gotta put up with our endless debates. I've been told it's exceptionally annoying," Charlie supplied, watching carefully as the pirate neared them, loosening the string of the net which bound them. She was pulled up, immediately restricted once again, but this time by the rope around her wrists. "Kinky," she drawled out, looking at her hands in front of her.

Feeling a shove on her back, she stumbled forwards out of the forest. Sokka followed with a strangled yelp after he was pushed too, walking next to Charlie as they neared the river. Aang was just behind them, tied at his wrists and arms, keeping them pressed to his sides.

The last tree lining the forest escaped her vision, and Charlie could see Katara strapped to a tree next to Zuko, Iroh and six Fire Nation guards. She gave the waterbender a nod, signalling to her for comfort. While Katara twitched a small smile in response, Charlie was pulled to stand between Sokka and a short pirate.

"Nice work," Zuko commented, stepping forward with the waterbending scroll in-hand. Sokka struggled with the rope around his wrists, trying to pull himself free.

"Aang, this is all my fault," Katara admitted, averting her gaze to her feet.

"No, Katara, it isn't," he assured, eyes wide.

Iroh leaned slightly towards Katara, his hands joined and hidden between the draped sleeves of his robe. "Yeah, it kind of is," he muttered from the corner of his mouth. Charlie raised her eyebrows and nodded her head in reluctant agreement.

Seeing her reaction, Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Well, he's not wrong," she said with a casual shrug.

Zuko's voice cut through the air like a sword. "Give me the boy." Charlie saw how Sokka's eyes lit up with realisation, hearing how the prince carefully avoided the word 'Avatar' in his demand.

The pirates weren't phased, quipping back, "Give us the scroll."

"You're really gonna hand over _the_ _Avatar_ for some stupid piece of parchment?" he asked slyly, looking up at the pirate next to him.

Charlie's eyes shot to Zuko, seeing him twitch in anger. "Don't listen to him," he demanded, pointing to the Water Tribe boy. "He's trying to turn us against each other."

The pirate, however, paid him no mind, instead turning to look at the young tattooed boy. "Your friend is the Avatar?" he asked in shock.

With a great smile of confidence, Sokka slid next to Aang. "Sure is! And I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the Black Market than that fancy scroll."

"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko snarled threateningly.

"Yeah, Sokka," Aang whispered in caution. "You should really shut your mouth."

Sokka only closed his eyes casually, waving off the boy with his tied hands. "I'm just saying, it's bad business sense." He leaned closer to the pirates around him, eyeing them with deceit. "Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life."

The pirate smirked at his words, not bothering to spare a glance towards the prince. "Keep the scroll. We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid." He turned on his heel, leading his crew away from the soldiers, but Charlie saw how Zuko's eyes narrowed with rage.

"You'll regret breaking a deal with me." Zuko raised his leg into a side kick, while two of his soldiers shot out their open palms, simultaneously sending three streams of fire in their direction. Charlie fell back, her vision temporarily clouded by the smoke after the flames died. When the pirates charged forwards, leaving her alone with Sokka and Aang, the three shared a look before scrambling to escape from the ropes.

"Watch out!" Charlie yelled when she happened to look up to find three soldiers running at them with a war cry, armed with weapons. She flinched when the pirates jumped around them in defence, letting out a hearty scream of their own. Each of the pirates threw down a small round, which exploded into an opaque cloud of dark grey smoke.

Charlie rolled away, using her momentum to pick herself up and run blindly. She coughed through the smoke, stumbling with squinted eyes until she found herself coming out on the other side. Her wrists ached from being tied together, unable to break the rope around them.

When her vision cleared, she saw Zuko being thrown out of the smoke to her left, quickly tucking the scroll in the back of his belt. She dashed up to him and grabbed the scroll between her hands, tugging it swiftly from him. Zuko gasped and flung around as Charlie ran away with a perfunctory laugh and a wide smile, only to crash into the belly of a sword-wielding pirate. She let out a yelp as the force of the collision sent her stumbling backwards, giving the pirate time to look down at the scroll she held and back up to her eyes, raising his sword.

Charlie tensed at the glint of the metal in the sunlight. Using her best judgement, she spun on her heel and swiftly threw the scroll back at Zuko, where it collided with his face before falling into his arms.

"Hey!" he shouted out in irritation. Charlie gave a sheepish shrug as the pirate stepped around her and lunged sword-first for Zuko and the scroll. He ducked under a swipe of the sword before throwing his free palm out, sending a short fire blast. The pirate stepped to the side, avoiding the flames as Zuko sent out another fiery kick, stepping back to avoid the sword which he blocked easily using the armour on his forearms.

As they twisted around, each had a hold of the other's wrist in the air, the scroll just out of reach. Charlie ran forwards to grab it, but another pirate snatched it first with his whip before she could. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Momo flying down to grab the scroll, so when Zuko went to lunge after it, Charlie raised her tied wrists and looped her arms around his neck. The prince yelled at the unexpected weight holding him back, sending them both toppling downwards.

"Get off of me!" he growled in frustration, failing under her. Charlie huffed the hair out of her face, glancing up to see Momo flying away with the scroll. A second later, she was being thrown off of Zuko, hitting the ground hard. She scrambled to push herself up, narrowly dodging a fire blast that was sent her way. Seeing his glower, Charlie stumbled into a standing position, giving him a smile and a cheerful salute with her bound hands before stepping back into the smoke cloud. 

Her original plan was to walk straight through to the other side where she knew everyone would end up, but that went to shambles when she quickly found herself disoriented with the lack of visual cues. "Charlie! Aang! Are you there?" she heard Sokka shout over the sounds of swords clashing all around.

"I'm over here! Follow my voice," Aang instructed from somewhere in the grey cloud.

"I'm here too!" Charlie called out, trying to wave the smoke away from her face as she frantically spun around, looking for the source of their voices.

"Where? I can't see anything!" she heard Sokka say back. She turned in the direction his voice travelled from, making the split-second decision to run towards it. When the smoke cleared from her vision, revealing the other side of the bay where the pirates' boats were docked, she immediately tripped. With a yelp, she fell on her side, unable to break her fall with her bound hands, finding herself lying next to a shocked Sokka, who'd crawled out of the smoke.

Seeing her wrists still tied together, he reached behind his back and drew his boomerang, using its sharp side to slice through the ropes until they fell to the ground. "Thanks," Charlie breathed out, pushing herself off the floor.

Only a second later, Aang was jumping over their heads screaming, "Run!" Charlie grabbed Sokka's wrist before he had the chance to stand up, running after Aang. He yelped at the force of being dragged forward but stumbled into a steady pace behind her. "Katara, you're okay!" Aang said as they reached the girl, who was trying to push one of the larger wooden ships from the dock.

"Help me get this boat back in the water so we can get out of here," Katara rasped out through another strained push, her feet sliding back through the sand.

"That won't work, it's too heavy," Charlie said, resting her hands on her knees while she caught her breath.

"We'd need a team of rhinos to budge it," Sokka agreed, looking up at the boat. It stood tall above them all, the red sails casting a shadow over their faces.

"A team of rhinos..." Aang turned to Katara, giving her a childish lopsided smile. "Or two waterbenders."

While they performed a pushing and pulling motion with the water, bringing their arms back and forth in synchronisation, Charlie looped around to the side of the boat where a rope ladder hung. Hopping through the rising lake water, ignoring how it soaked into her shoes, she climbed onto the ropes.

"Everyone in!" Katara called out as the boat started to sail into the water on its own, backing away from the dock. Aang used a twist of airbending to propel himself onto the deck, while Katara and Sokka had to run through the water to reach the ladder. Charlie hung on the edge of the rope, reaching her arm down for them to latch onto. One-by-one, she helped pull them onto the moving boat, making sure they were all on board before she climbed up herself, falling over the wooden railings to the deck.

Sokka had already gone to man the wheel, twisting it harshly left so the boat would travel downstream. Charlie ran to the back of the boat, jumping on the raised platform to look back at the shore where the smoke had already mostly cleared. When she saw Iroh gesture towards her, catching the pirate's attention, she gave a patronising wave. While the pirate ran after them, Zuko pointed and laughed almost childishly at their misfortune before realising his own river steamer had been hijacked. Six pirates followed behind them on the smaller Fire Nation boat, picking up speed faster than the wooden ship could.

Charlie ran around the command room to the quarterdeck where Sokka steered the ship, coming to a stop next to Katara. "Sokka, can't you make this thing go any faster?" Aang shouted, holding onto the flagpole atop the command room.

"I don't know how! This thing wasn't made by the Water Tribe," Sokka explained, looking around the wheel, but to no avail.

On their left, the metal boat had already caught up to them, pressing up to the hull. The pirates jumped over, latching onto the lip of the wood and pulling themselves onto the quarterdeck. With the rising of a wave, Charlie jumped back, watching as it washed over the deck and threw one pirate overboard. While Katara took care of the second pirate, raising her arms to stream the puddle beneath her feet before whipping it out, Charlie ran over to Sokka, who seemed to be in a strange predicament.

A larger buff man stood behind him, lifting him up and hooking an arm around his neck and under one arm. Sokka's legs had wrapped around a lankier pirate's neck, holding him in a strange—but effective—headlock. Charlie ran around to the lanky one, grabbing his shoulders. She kneed him in the groin, letting him crumble to the floor in pain. "Sorry," she chuckled out with an unapologetic smile.

What she hadn't noticed was that when Sokka's legs were no longer anchoring himself by the neck of the lanky pirate, the buff one had thrown him straight into the sail, where he fell down to the lower deck with a thud. Thankfully, Aang jumped next to Charlie and created an air dome which forced the lanky pirate into the air, then circled his arms to form a mini-tornado. The buff pirate was sucked on top of it, spinning with the force before being thrown overboard.

Charlie leapt over the railing to the lower deck, where Sokka lay face-down on the wooden panels, groaning in pain. She squatted down on the balls of her feet, anxiously biting her lip. "Hey," she whispered to him, tapping his back frantically. "Hey, hey, hey, get up."

Sokka rolled over onto his back, muttering out a weak, "Ow."

Charlie breathed out heavily through her nose, grabbing his arm and pulling him up—just in time, too. Aang was cornered by the lanky pirate who hadn't been thrown off the ship, holding out his bison whistle in defence of the blade drawn against him. Kicking a loose rail with the blade of his foot, Sokka managed to wrangle loose a piece of wood before sneaking behind the pirate. With a heavy swing, he struck the pirate in the back, using his momentum to do a spinning kick which knocked the man overboard.

"Woah!" Charlie cheered out in slight shock, never actually having seen him in a real fight before. "You've gotta teach me that one."

Sokka's lips twitched into a proud smile for a second before his eyes widened, looking back at Aang. "What are you doing with that thing?" he strained out, his voice cracking slightly as he gestured to the bison whistle in the airbenders hand. "This is no time for flute practice!"

The three turned to look over the railings, finding themselves nearing the edge of a waterfall. Charlie's shoulders tensed, her nails digging into the wood. She knew they'd be okay, but it didn't stop the adrenaline from crawling through her body, making her spine shiver.

"We can stop the boat," Katara said confidently over the sound of crashing water, which only grew louder and more deafening as it neared. "Aang, we need to push and pull the water!" Together, the two dragged their wrists back and forth in synchronisation until the boat began to turn, stopping just before the edge of the waterfall. "We're doing it!" she cheered with a wide smile.

"But we have another problem—look out!" Sokka shouted, pointing towards Zuko's unmanned river steamer, which crashed into the hull of the pirate's ship. Charlie screamed as the force shot her to the back railing, sandwiched between Aang and Sokka.

"Jump!" Aang said as the boat tilted too far on its side. The four held onto each other as they fell freely, parallel to the waterfall, screaming their lungs out. Before they could even reach the bottom, Appa flew under them. Charlie and Sokka landed face-down at the front of his saddle, with Katara laying perpendicular on top of Aang behind them. She let out a sigh of relief, reaching over the saddle and patting the bison.

"Thanks, buddy," she breathed out before sitting up, leaning against the saddle's raised lip. "Everyone good?"

"I'm good," Sokka said with a waver, putting a hand over his heart as he took deep breaths. Katara and Aang only nodded, rolling off of each other in exhaustion.

"I knew a bison whistle would come in handy." Aang smiled softly, looking at the relic in his hands.

"Thanks, Appa, we owe you one," Sokka admitted, listening as the bison grumbled happily in response. He flew them high past the clouds, drifting carelessly in the air as the pink-tinted sky fell upon them. Aang and Katara had shuffled to the back of the saddle, chatting quietly to each other. Charlie tuned out after she heard Katara apologising, not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Instead, she simply looked at the three around her. They all seemed so tired—and understandably so. Almost dying would do that to a person, and these ones were still just kids. She bit her lip in consideration. "So," she began, tilting her head towards Sokka. "What life-threatening scenario was scarier. Being trapped in a temple sinking into lava or being thrown off a giant waterfall?"

Sokka gaped at her. "How—We almost died! How are you making jokes right now?"

"But we didn't," Charlie said, her eyes widened with her smile. "That's why the jokes are okay."

"You're crazy, you know that right?" Sokka admitted, a glimmer in his blue eyes.

"Hey, call it what you want. I'm lightening the mood—you guys are buzzkills."

Sokka wore an exasperated face, but Charlie could see how he tried to suppress his smile. "Sinking temple. That was way scarier."

"Seriously?" Charlie cocked her eyebrow, shifting so her body was facing him. "But that was so slow—like, the whole 'sinking' part was obnoxiously dragged out, it pretty much lost the effect at that point."

"Wha—it was a pit of lava!" Sokka said, flailing his arms for emphasis while he gestured to the non-existent lava. "Like actual one-thousand-degree lava, which probably would have slowly burnt us alive. That trumps water on scariness levels."

"Hey, falling from that height? That water would have felt like a brick wall. Easily scarier."

What followed from there—to Aang and Katara's dismay—was a dragged-out debate about the dangers of the elements and the subjectivity of fear, which somehow looped back around into the giant Momo and tiny Appas debate. Obviously Sokka dropped it pretty quickly after that. It was childish, sure, but resorting to immature arguments to take their minds away from the overarching threat of the war was what they needed. At one point, Sokka's eyes widened in realisation, pulling a familiar scroll from his shirt and giving it to his sister, who cheered in thanks.

Charlie rested her eyes, letting the warmth of the afternoon sun cast a golden glow on her pale skin. The freckles on her arms were slightly more prominent than usual because of how much she'd been outside. At home, she'd spent her days lazing away with no real purpose, just living out the days as they came. But lately, they'd been moving at such a fast pace that their break times were becoming shorter and shorter every day, and it was taking its toll on them. It was totally different from how she lived her normal life, but there was something nice about it—like she belonged there.

**Soundtrack (I’ll probably add more to this one eventually)**

Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li || Opening scene on Appa, the gang lands at the lake and Aang practices their supplies down the river until Charlie offers Sokka her blubbered seal jerky

Flathead by The Fratellis || Sokka comes to the realisation that the guys are pirates and they get chased out of the village

Check it Out by Oh The Larceny || The pirates throw the smoke bombs and everyone battles for the scroll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this is a long chapter. There was just so much to fit in. Also, next week I might not be posting, I have some catching up to do with uni work, sorry! After that, I’ll try to continue posting once a week until my exams at the end of the month, then I’ll see how I go. Follow me on Tumblr if you want to know when I’m updating :)


	8. The Rebels

To put it bluntly—Charlie was seriously getting sick of all these forests. Every time they landed in one, it was like a beacon for trouble. This time, the clearing they'd landed in was surrounded by a blanket of red, leaves beginning to dry up and create mounts on the forest floor. The afternoon sun casted an orange glow between the trees, shining specks of light around them.

Appa had immediately collapsed to the floor, rolling over to rest after a long flying streak. From where they stood, there was no water nearby for Aang and Katara to practice waterbending, so the four sat around chatting lazily about the past week. It had been non-stop, one life-threatening adventure after the other. It wasn't until Sokka joked about getting kidnapped by a giant, angry panda that Aang shot up in realisation from his bed of leaves.

"Charlie!" he shouted quickly, shocking the others. "I can't believe I forgot to ask you! When I was in the Spirit World back in Senlin village, you could see me, right? _How_?"

She blinked in surprise, remembering how she'd seen what she could only assume to be a future version of Aang after being trapped in that cave with Sokka. It had honestly slipped her mind. "Yeah, I could see you. I don't know, I figured it must be some sort of psychic thing." Actually, Charlie figured it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't from their world, but she wasn't going to tell them that. "But when I saw you, we hadn't even gone to Senlin village yet."

"Okay, there's no way that Aang travelled back in time," Sokka stated, shuffling closer to them.

"I don't _think_ I did," Aang admitted with furrowed brows in contemplation before holding up his finger. "But I did notice something weird. When I came back, Katara said we'd been gone for almost twenty-four hours."

Katara nodded slowly in agreement. "That's right, Charlie and I were waiting for you the whole day."

"Right!" Aang said, leaning forward. "But for me, it didn't feel that long at all."

Charlie raised her eyebrows at Aang, sharing a look with Sokka. "Are you saying that time worked differently in the Spirit World or something?"

"Maybe?"

"Okay, you've both gone crazy," Sokka said dryly after a beat of silence. He picked himself up and dusted the dirt off his pants. "I'm gonna hang out with Momo."

"Where _is_ Momo?" Aang asked, noticing the lacking presence of the lemur. Charlie quirked her lips slightly downwards and shrugged.

Just then, a familiar screech echoed throughout the forest. The four shared a look and shot up, running in the direction of the sound. It didn't take long until they slid to a stop under three cages suspended in the air by ropes attached to the trees. Momo chattered in glee, seeing Aang propel himself towards the branch and metal crank that trapped him. He quickly unlocked the crank and lowered the cage to the ground, where Katara and Sokka pulled the bars open to free Momo. Aang landed softly on the floor with a smile, but the whimpers of two more animals trapped in the metal cages grabbed his attention.

"Alright, you too," Aang said, jumping up again with a twist.

Sokka reached behind his back and unsheathed his boomerang. "This is gonna take forever," he complained before throwing the weapon with precision, cutting straight through the ropes and sending the cages to the ground. The metal bars broke with the force, and the monkey-like animals were quick to escape into the forest.

Aang slid back down the tree, leaving a trail of dust behind him. This had to be the start of an episode, she just couldn't remember which one. The timeline for the earlier season had gotten jumbled in her head, being mostly stand-alone episodes, so it took some time to prompt her memory.

Sokka squatted besides one of the fallen cages, inspecting the frame. "These are Fire Nation traps," he explained, brushing the tips of his fingers along the cool metal. "You can tell by the metal work. We better pack up camp and get moving." He stood up with a serious expression, scooping up Momo with one hand, who grumbled in dismay after dropping the red berry he was eating.

Charlie followed him back to the camp where they repacked their sleeping bags and braided the loops of the saddle back onto Appa's back. Katara passed her pack to Aang, who sat on the crook of Appa's neck, preparing to jump onto his saddle when Sokka jumped between them.

"Nope, no flying this time," he said, taking the pack back from Aang's hands.

"What?" Aang asked with a quizzical look. "Why wouldn't we fly?"

Sokka placed the pack on the ground, holding his hands out. "Think about it—somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa, he's just too noticeable."

"What? Appa's not too noticeable," Katara denied immediately, placing her hands on her hips.

"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head!" Sokka flailed his arms in Appa's general direction to emphasise his point. "It's kind of hard to miss him."

Appa groaned in annoyance, turning his head away from Sokka. "Well now you've hurt his feelings," Charlie jokingly admonished. He rolled his eyes theatrically with a light scoff.

"Sokka's just jealous 'cause he doesn't have an arrow," Aang assured, giving the bison a pat on his head.

"Look, I know you all want to fly but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk," Sokka said, taking on a more serious tone.

"Oh, so you're a psychic too now?" Charlie quipped with slight patrony, cocking her head to the side.

Katara planted a hand on her hip and gave him a playful sneer. "Who made you the boss?"

"I'm not the boss, I'm the leader," Sokka corrected, jutting his thumb at his chest. Katara let out a spluttering scoff.

" _You're_ the leader? But your voice still cracks," she drawled out in amusement, raising an eyebrow at her brother.

"I'm the oldest and I'm a warrior!" he replied, somewhat defensively. His voice also cracked, which Charlie found ironically funny. "So, I'm the leader," he finished in a deeper tone.

"How old are you?" Charlie asked curiously, leaning against Appa with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I turned seventeen in the eighth month," he stated proudly, widening his stance.

Charlie's lips twitched, unable to force away her smile. "I turned seventeen in the sixth." When Sokka's jaw dropped in realisation, she turned to face Katara and Aang with a radiant smile. "Guys, great news, I'm the new leader of the gang!"

"Well—I'm the oldest guy," he corrected with a splutter, crossing his arms in defence.

"That's sexist."

"No it's not!"

"Girls can be leaders," Charlie argued, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "I mean, just look at Suki."

"How do you know about Suki?" he queried with widened eyes.

Charlie only looked at him blankly. "Do you ever get tired of asking how I know things?"

"If anyone's the leader, it's Aang," Katara said pointedly, giving him a shy smile. "I mean, he _is_ the Avatar."

"Are you kidding? He's just a goofy kid," he complained. The three turned to look at the airbender who was currently hanging upside down on Appa's horn in boredom.

"He's right," Aang agreed with a nod.

Sokka leaned down to pick up his pack, slinging the leather straps over his shoulders. Katara crossed her arms again in annoyance. "Why do boys always think someone has to be the leader?" she asked rhetorically, giving Charlie an exasperated look before shooting a glare to her brother. "I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a girl."

"I—I've kissed a girl!" Sokka spluttered out, tightening his hands around the straps. "You just... haven't met her." He averted his gaze to everywhere except his sister.

"Who? _Gran Gran_?" she pressed, leaning forwards to catch his eye. "I've met Gran Gran."

"No, besides Gran Gran," he shot back, frantically waving his arms.

Katara blinked and remained unmoving, flicking her eyes to Charlie. "Is that true?" she asked, thinking the psychic would be able to answer.

"Depends what you count as a kiss," Charlie admitted with a small shrug. Sokka let out a perfunctory laugh while Katara's jaw dropped with a strong gasp.

"You mean he _has?!"_ she asked in utter shock.

"I told you!" he said, pointing his finger at her.

"Slow down, man, she kissed you and it was only on the cheek," Charlie said, holding up her hand.

"It counts!"

"Hardly."

Sokka let out a theatrical groan, flinging his head back in annoyance. "Let's just get back to the point. My instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and a leader _has_ to trust his instincts."

Katara pursed her lips and looked back at Charlie. "You're the psychic, do you agree with the _oh wise leader_ over there?"

When she looked at Sokka, he wore an almost unfamiliar expression. She'd not seen it before, but it was the expression she imagined he was making in the darkness of the cave when they'd been trapped together. His insecurities of losing his role as a leader was weighing him down. The look made her shift in discomfort, as if she had to say something to fix it.

"Uh, yeah actually." They looked at her in surprise. Even Sokka's mouth had dropped slightly open, not expecting her to agree so easily. "I'm getting a strong vibe that we should walk."

"Who knows, walking might be fun," Aang said with a look of determination as he slung his make-shift backpack over his shoulders, gripping the straps in excitement.

"Walking _stinks_ ," he complained loudly as he stomped through the leaves crowding his feet. "How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow at him judgmentally. "It's been ten minutes."

"Ten minutes too long. I miss flying," he mumbled, pouting his lip. "And this pack is heavy! I'm tired of carrying it."

"You know who you should ask to carry it for a while," Katara began in a devious tone, her eyebrows raised sardonically. "Sokka's instincts!"

A wide smile split across Aang's face. "That's a great idea! Hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Sokka said snappishly. "Look guys, I'm tired too, but the important thing is that we're safe from the—" He brushed aside the red, leafy foliage of a tree, finding a small army of men staring at them from around a campfire while frozen half-way through their meals. Weakly, he muttered out, "—Fire... Nation."

Charlie cleared her throat awkwardly. "Hi there. Don't mind us, just passing through."

The soldiers rose to their feet, swords and fists raised. "Run!" Sokka shouted, dropping his pack and taking off. Charlie spun to sprint back the way they'd come from, but a soldier sent a blast of fire between them which ignited the tree, blocking their path. "We're cut off! We need a new plan."

She felt a heat radiating from her side. Looking over, Charlie's eyes widened when she saw Sokka unaware that his sleeve was aflame. "You're on fire."

"Thanks Charlie, but—"

"No, literally." Charlie pointed out his arm, watching as he let out a wimpish scream and leaned back in what looked like an attempt to detach his shoulder from his body. He was quickly doused by Katara, who'd pulled a line of water from her pouch. When they looked back up, the soldiers had backed them into a corner, sandwiched between a wall of fire and twenty swords.

"Everyone behind me!" Sokka ordered, holding out his arms.

"I still vote we run," Charlie supplied over his shoulder. Aang and Katara stood defensively with their hands up in bending stances, ready to fight. Her comment was promptly ignored.

"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you," Sokka stated strongly.

Katara leaned slightly closer to her brother. "What are you doing?" she whispered from the side of her mouth.

Sokka gave a tense shrug. "Bluffing?"

One soldier took a step forward with a scoff, inching closer into their defense lines. " _You_ promise not to hurt _us_?" he said with narrowed eyes, a smirk crawling on his face. In a blink, his face fell and he collapsed to the floor.

"Nice work Sokka!" Aang cheered immediately, dropping his hands. "How'd you do that?"

"Uh, instinct?" he stuttered out.

Katara gasped, so Charlie followed her hand where she pointed into the trees above. There on a thick branch stood Jet, clad in strips of leather armour. He drew his dual hook swords and jumped down, using the curve of his weapons to swing and propel himself onto the backs of two soldiers. He stood on top of them for a moment and smirked, the leaf stem twitching between his lips.

He sprinted forwards, staying low to the ground so he could hook each of his swords around the legs of two more soldiers. He fluidly swiped them off their feet where they flipped over and crashed to the ground. Jet landed in a squat, holding one sword in front of him and the other out behind. "Down you go," he said with a casual smirk.

Sokka stared at him, completely perplexed, while Aang and Katara smiled widely. Charlie hated to admit it—especially after everything she knew about Jet—but he was actually a skilled fighter. He easily disarmed another band of soldiers with the help of his ragtag friends, who'd jumped down from the trees in ambush.

Soldiers came towards Charlie, but she didn't even have time to raise her fists before an arrow shot at him, knocking the swords from their hands. They hesitated in confusion but were quickly thrown to the ground by a giant Freedom Fighter whose shadow towered over them. The soldiers scrambled into the forest with a fearful whimper. When she looked back towards the others, Jet had just disarmed a soldier's spear. He flung it through the air where the hilt collided with another soldier's head, knocking him out cold.

When he dropped, Charlie saw Sokka standing behind him with his club raised, ready to strike. "Awh, man!" he muttered in disdain, dropping his arms lamely, finding Charlie staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "You saw that, right?! I almost had him."

"Sure, Sokka." She rolled her eyes when he let out an exacerbated groan.

Aang slid next to Jet with a look of awe. "You just took out a whole army almost single-handed," he said in wonder.

"Army?" Sokka scoffed loudly and raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms. "There were only like, twenty guys."

His quip was ignored as Jet walked ahead slightly, giving a nod to his team. "My name is Jet," he said, turning back to face them. "And these are my Freedom Fighters—Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, the Duke and Pipsqueak."

Aang walked over to the smallest one with a childish laugh. "Pipsqueak. That's a funny name."

The giant Freedom Fighter next to him leaned down to look at the boy. "You think my name is funny?"

The airbender blinked before a bright smile spread across his face. "It's hilarious!"

Pipsqueak glowered down at him for a moment before the two burst into genuine laughter. He went to give Aang a light-hearted clap on the back, but accidentally sent him face first into the mud, only to continue laughing.

"Let's check out what supplies they left behind—tell me if there's anything worth keeping," Jet instructed, gesturing to the three tents lined with the Fire Nation insignia. The group nodded at their leader, making quick work of their search.

As Sokka watched on with a grimace, Charlie noticed Katara watching Jet from the corner of her eye, who'd moved over to relax against a tree in the shade. She rolled her eyes, stepping in front of Katara to block her view of the boy.

"What's up, Katara?" Charlie asked, seeing the waterbender trying to peer around her.

"Huh? Nothing, why would you ask that?" she breathed out nervously, ending her sentence with a small laugh. Charlie cocked an eyebrow in disbelief when she went back to staring at Jet. "Isn't he so cool?" Katara asked, completely in awe.

"Not really, no."

"Did you see him take out all those soldiers on his own? It was amazing," she gushed with wide eyes, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet with her hands held in front of her.

"Don't be coy, Katara," Charlie admonished. "I'm sure you could have taken them. Just because he's a boy and he's your age, doesn't automatically make him cool."

"Well, I never said _that_ ," Katara murmured. "Besides, it's not like I get a crush on every guy we come across."

Charlie folded her arms and lifted her head slightly. "Didn't you have a thing with Haru?"

"No!" Charlie blinked, staring at her blankly for a moment. "O—Okay, maybe, but this is different," Katara argued, bringing her hands to her chest. "I get this feeling that he's a really nice guy."

"Okay Katara, you go ahead and trust your instincts. See where they lead you," Charlie offered casually with a smile, waving as she strolled back to Sokka.

"What was that about?" Sokka asked Charlie, narrowing his eyes at Jet when Katara shyed up to him.

"Katara having a crush on another one of the trouble boys we seem to bump into so often," she drawled out.

Sokka wrinkled his nose in distaste. "What?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, glancing over at the couple. "Turns out, Katara thinks instincts _are_ more reliable than basic reasoning. Only when it benefits her, of course."

"So I take it you had another vision or something? You don't seem to like Jet too much," Sokka said, nodding his head towards the boy.

"You got that right," she mumbled bitterly.

"Good, I don't trust him. There's something off about that guy," Sokka admitted with narrowed eyes. Their conversation lulled and they tuned into what Katara and Jet were saying.

"We were relying on _instincts_ ," they heard Katara drawl. Jet's eyes flicked briefly to Charlie and Sokka.

"You'll get yourself killed doing that," Jet commented slyly. Sokka pursed his lips in frustration, roughly pulling himself away. Charlie went to follow him, but got distracted when she saw the Duke peering into a barrel.

"Hey Jet, these barrels are filled with blasting jelly," he informed their leader, dipping his finger into the gooey yellow substance.

Jet glanced over from where he leaned against the tree, Katara standing shyly next to him. "That's a great score."

"And these boxes are filled with jellied candy," Pipsqueak added, holding up a wooden crate.

"Also good. Let's not get those mixed up."

Charlie drummed her fingers against her thighs in consideration before continuing after Sokka. She grabbed the pack she'd dropped earlier, along with Katara's as the love-struck waterbender was currently too preoccupied.

"We'll take this stuff back to the hideout," the Duke said as Pipsqueak lifted the crates and barrels into their wooden cart.

"You guys have a hideout?" Aang asked in excitement.

Jet curled his lips into a smile. "You wanna see it?"

"Yes we wanna see it," Katara replied without hesitation, clapping her hands together in a pleading motion. Charlie scrunched her nose when Jet gave Katara what looked like a genuine smile. It felt sleazy to her, probably because of the calculated and systematic purpose behind it. Getting Katara's attraction was strategic, whether he knew it or not yet. With her on his side, Aang would follow blindly.

Charlie and Sokka brought the packs over to Appa and strapped them on his saddle again before rejoining him with the rest of the group. Sokka was silent—obviously uncomfortable around Jet. Charlie bit her lip but didn't say anything. She wasn't even sure her words would comfort him at all, so she decided against it.

"Woah, who's this?" Jet asked, staring at the bison with raised eyebrows.

"This is Appa, my flying bison," Aang introduced, patting the fur between his eyes. When Jet moved closer, Appa grumbled loudly, causing him to take a cautious step back instead. "Sorry, he's not used to seeing so many new people."

"That's alright," Jet assured, holding his leaf stem between his fingers like a cigar. Charlie rolled her eyes when he finally turned away.

She clapped her hand a few times against Appa's side. "Good job, buddy."

"We should head off, just in case any of those soldiers come back," the Duke suggested, taking a seat in the cart.

Jet nodded and looked at Katara over his shoulder. "It's not far from here. Walk with me?"

"Sure!" Katara blushed and hurried next to him, where they fell into an even walking pace in front of the group.

"So what are you four doing this deep in the forest?" Jet inquired casually. Charlie narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. He turned around to look at them and Charlie gave him a glowing smile.

"We're on our way to the North Pole," Katara explained, holding her hands behind her back. "I'm a waterbender, so Aang and I are looking for someone to teach us."

"Waterbenders, huh? Interesting." He turned away and Charlie dropped her features again.

Feeling a presence at her side, Charlie turned to find Smellerbee staring up at her. She wore a dark blue bandana around her forehead and donned two red stripes painted across each cheek. She wore the same leather armour strips as Jet around her arms, also covering her chest and legs. "Hey," Charlie said with a nod.

"Hey," Smellerbee replied in a raspy voice. "Your hair's cool."

Her hair was undoubtedly a ginger mess. Because of her layers, it naturally poked up in all directions, and a few weeks without a brush was no help. Nonetheless, she appreciated the comment.

"Thanks. I like that war paint thing you've got going on," Charlie said, gesturing to her own face.

"Thanks." Smellerbee nodded and moved back over by Longshot's side. She was kind of weird, but Charlie liked her.

"She seems nice," Charlie said to Sokka who tore his eyes away from Jet.

"Smellerbee's a _girl_?" Sokka questioned, eyebrows raised high into his hairline. "How can you tell? She doesn't look like a girl."

"Sexist."

"How is that sexist?!"

"What's a girl supposed to look like, huh?" Charlie pressed with a tilt of her head.

Sokka stumbled over his words, opening and closing his mouth a few times. "Wha—I don't know, just... girly?"

"Weak argument. Try again."

"Try aga—okay, uh, tall. Longer hair or something, I don't know," he tried, waving his hands in the air, looking back to Jet.

"I'm literally the same height as you. So by your standards, all I need to do is cut my hair and _boom_ ,I'm a boy." Charlie opened her hands in front of her for emphasis, the corner of her lip involuntarily twitching into a smirk.

"Fine, it was sexist and I'm sorry," Sokka said suddenly, not taking his eyes away, which were glued to the back of Jet's head. Charlie blinked in surprise with a small shake of her head.

"So I appreciate the sentiment, but that was super boring," Charlie said dryly. "Usually our arguments involve a bit more back and forth before you come to that conclusion. It takes all the fun out of it when you agree straight away."

"Where are you going with this?" Sokka asked, raising a brow at her.

"What's got you so distracted? I mean, other than the obvious," Charlie tapped her finger against her open palm, not-so-slyly gesturing towards Jet. "You seem more droopy than usual."

Sokka stayed in contemplative silence for a minute. When he averted his gaze to the floor, Charlie couldn't help but frown. "Do you think I'm a bad leader?" he asked quietly, trying not to grab any attention.

Charlie raised her eyebrows. "Why would I think that?"

"I was just wondering," he brushed off with a casual shrug. Charlie bit her lip and looked ahead where Jet strolled easily through the red-leaved forest, Katara staring up at him by his side. She knew what this was about. Sokka was really questioning his ability to take care of their little group, hurt when he saw how easily Aang and Katara clung to Jet.

"If it's any consolation," she began quietly with a tease. "My psychicness is telling me your instincts are right this time." Sokka looked over at her, but didn't have time to respond before Jet and his Freedom Fighters reached a stop.

"We're here," Jet announced, tilting his head back to look at the leaves hanging above.

"Where? There's nothing here," Sokka said, looking around the trees.

Jet leaned over towards a giant trunk stood, grabbing a rope that was camouflaged into the bark. "Hold this." He passed it to Sokka, who held onto the loop on the end.

"Why?" Sokka questioned, eyeing the rope in his hand. "What's this do?" He let out a high-pitched scream as he shot up into the trees, pulled by the rope which tangled around his wrist. Charlie snorted when his torso got stuck in a bushier part of the tree, leaving his legs frantically kicking to escape.

Jet offered another rope to Aang, who kindly denied, using his airbending to propel himself into the trees. Instead, he turned to Charlie with the rope extended in his hand. "Sorry, I didn't get your name," he admitted.

Charlie shrugged, a small frown playing on her lips. "I didn't give it to you." She grabbed the rope from him and looped it around her hand, letting it tug her upwards into the leaves. She couldn't be bothered watching the display between Jet and Katara, especially without the cheesy 'dreamy' effect and violins that at least made it funny.

She ended up jumping off the rope and onto a wooden landing around the circumference of a tree. Ladder-like steps were attached to the trunk, leading all the way down to the ground, and up to separate platforms where ziplines and bridges joined the trees. Aang and Momo had already made quick use of them, zipping back and forth. Pointed tarps covered the smaller platforms, acting as shelters for the kids to relax beneath.

Next to her laying flat on the landing panels was Sokka, topped off with a red leaf sticking out of his hair. Charlie glanced around, finding Jet with Katara with the rest of the Freedom Fighters a few platforms away. She pursed her lip—it was no accident, he was trying to split them up.

Charly lightly kicked Sokka's side and gestured for him to get up, which he did with a grumble, then they quickly made their way over the bridges towards the group. When they caught up, Jet had already started educating Katara on their plan to rid a nearby village of the Fire Nation. Katara blushed, flattering him with comments of bravery, then Sokka made a dry quip about how there was nothing braver than a guy in a treehouse.

When Jet made eye contact with Charlie, seeking her input, she just smiled sweetly and told him she wasn't inclined to trust a guy who munched on leaves for a living. The expression that morphed on his face was one that Charlie was happy to remember. It was also the moment she was pretty sure Jet decided he didn't like her, which was an added bonus.

Sokka had snorted a laugh while Katara apologised on their behalf. At some point, Charlie cursed under her breath when she realised Jet had separated Katara from them, looking around to find they weren't walking with the group anymore.

"Sokka, I'm gonna go check this place out, see if I can get any intel," Charlie whispered to him, careful not to alert the other Freedom Fighters. Sure, they were nice, but their loyalties lied with Jet. If they caught her snooping where she wasn't supposed to, there was no telling what Jet would do. She didn't like that he was unpredictable—it irked her and made her feel unsteady, like she was constantly a step behind. Luckily, Charlie had a bit of an unfair advantage that she wasn't afraid to use.

Sokka gave her a strange look but nodded, his eyebrows low. "Be careful, I don't trust these guys," he muttered back.

"Don't worry, just keep them distracted for a while," she told him, eyeing the group ahead of her. "This shouldn't take long."

As the group began crossing another bridge, Charlie looped back around the platform, using the tree trunk to make sure she stayed out of sight until they were too far away to notice. She peered around, finding no one around. By her head, she noticed a slab of wood roughly nailed into the bark and looked down, finding the slab was one in a line, leading all the way to the forest floor. It was the make-shift ladders she'd recognised from earlier.

Charlie slipped through the hole in the platform and climbed back down to where they'd entered from. It took a good few minutes, clearly the inferior method of transportation in comparison to the rope pulley system they had going on. When she got close enough to the ground, Charlie jumped off the last few slabs, landing in a crouch.

The cart was still there, filled with four barrels of blasting jelly, and four boxes of jellied candy.

By the time Charlie was done, the cart was tipped on its side, now empty of its contents. It looked like an accident, if anything. She could easily blame it on the animals. At first glance, it appeared as if the barrels had rolled off the path and down the hill right next to it, but that was a diversion. Charlie had actually hidden them in the bushes opposite the cart, making sure the red foliage camouflage the maroon wood enough to be unnoticable.

Charlie backed up from the scene, climbing carefully up the ladder. She'd been gone for too long—Jet would start getting suspicious if she didn't hurry back. Making it to the same platform she'd come from, Charlie walked in the direction she last saw Sokka heading.

It wasn't long before someone appeared next to her, grabbing her arm just above the elbow.

"Charlie! Where have you been?" Sokka hissed out, dragging her around a tree trunk so no one would overhear them. "Do you have any idea how _annoying_ it was being stuck with Aang, Katara and Jet? They won't shut up about him! And then Katara asked where you where so I told her you were brushing your hair which is obviously a lie because everyone knows you don't do that—"

"Woah, slow down man, it's fine. I had to do something important but it's done now," she explained, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you okay? Why are you so freaked out right now?"

"Wha—because you clearly see through Jet's _cool-guy attitude_ ,which currently makes you the only person I can trust and so I kind of need you _here_ ," Sokka blurted out immediately, frantically waving his arms as he spoke.

A small grin formed on her face. "You need to give yourself more credit. You could easily sort Jet out on your own."

Sokka scoffed lightly with an exaggerated eye roll. "Yeah, right."

"No I'm serious, I have eighty-three percent confidence in you," Charlie smiled out, crossing her arms.

Sokka's eyebrows pressed together. "Eight-three? Why's that so low? What about the other seventeen percent?"

She shrugged casually and cocked her head to the side. "Human error. The Butterfly Effect. Who knows what will actually happen when it comes down to it."

"Aren't you psychic?" Sokka asked dryly.

"Don't question the science of _future_ , okay, things change," Charlie quipped, holding up a finger.

"It's not even a science—" Sokka was cut off by a rustle and a thump beside them. The two jumped apart in sync to appear less like they were hiding behind the tree. They found themselves staring at the shining grin of their favourite airbender, where he'd landed after jumping off a zipline.

"Hey guys!" he chirped out, bouncing on his feet. "Where have you been? Jet just gave us a tour!"

Charlie and Sokka shared a look, which worked out to be a silent agreement to not tell Aang anything just yet. It was too early for them to start making assumptions without any solid proof that Jet wasn't a good guy, and Charlie had a feeling that Katara wouldn't be as trusting of her 'psychic' act as usual.

"We've just been hanging around, taking in the place, you know?" she lied easily, waving her hand around.

Aang nodded eagerly. "Isn't it great?"

"Super," Charlie drawled with a blank expression.

"Where's Katara?" Sokka asked, trying to change the subject.

"She's with Jet."

He gave an exaggerated eye roll at the mention of the other teen. "Of course she is," he muttered under his breath.

Oblivious to Sokka's dismay, the young airbender smiled brightly. "Let's go see what they're up to!" he suggested, bouncing freely across another connecting rope bridge.

Charlie and Sokka shared a mutual look of understanding before following after Aang and making their way towards the direction of Katara and Jet. Even with the fast-pace Aang was leading, she still dragged her feet as if they were strapped down by metal boulders. She never liked Jet's character that much anyway, but after having met him, Charlie was dreading it even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting way too long, so I decided to split it and post it across two chapters. It gave me more time to make it better, though! Also i hope you like the dynamic i’m going for between Jet and Charlie, they really just hate each other and make sly commentary whenever possible. Also with the blasting jelly cart—Charlie just enjoys to slightly inconvenience people she doesn't like.
> 
> Aaand I might take two weeks to post the next chapter, too. I’m right about to start my exam period, but after that I should be good!


	9. The Damned

The walk to Jet and Katara was a tiresome one, feeling way longer than it should have. Aang wouldn't stop going on about how cool he thought Jet was, and it annoyed both Sokka and Charlie to no ends. She felt like she was babysitting a hyperactive toddler.

They found the couple setting a large wooden table with dishes of cooked food in preparation of the feast they'd be having that night. It was so domestic. Charlie raised her eyebrows at the display.

"Charlie!" Katara smiled, finally tearing her eyes away from Jet long enough to process her and Sokka standing side-by-side. "Where have you been? Jet just showed us around his hideout, it's amazing.

"So we've heard," Charlie replied, wrinkling her nose slightly and peering over the table of food. "What's the occasion?" she asked casually.

"A toast—to celebrate our step closer in defeating the Fire Nation," Jet said casually, placing down a bowl of bright red berries.

"Right..." she drawled out, rolling her eyes.

Just then, Smellerbee and Pipsqueak came hurrying around the corner. They pulled Jet to the side and talked in hushed tones between themselves. Charlie would have crept closer to them to hear the conversation, but she noticed Katara giving her a strange look—or more so, the orange mess that sat atop her head. "I thought Sokka said you went to brush your hair?"

Charlie tensed, glancing back and forth between her and Sokka, who let out an extended, "Uhhhhh."

Sensing that he would be no help, she turned back to Katara and nodded her head. "Uhh, yeah," she said in as convincing of a tone she could muster. "Yeah, turns out, I couldn't find my brush, so uh, funny that!"

Katara's quizzical look only deepened when she narrowed her eyes slightly. She was smart enough to make sure Jet was still out of range when she replied. "You sound like Sokka when you lie."

Sokka let out a highly offended gasp, throwing his hand to his chest. "Hey, I'm a great liar!" he argued, voice cracking slightly. Katara raised an eyebrow, letting out a light scoff.

"No you're not. Remember the time you ate _seven servings_ of arctic hen then tried blaming it on a wild polar bear dog?" she drawled out in a tease at the absurdity of the situation.

"It could have happened," he muttered with a pout, twisting his head away.

"Okay, first of all—that comparison was rude," Charlie interjected, holding up a finger. "I'm a fantastic liar. And second, even if I _was_ lying, it's most likely for a good reason. I could have had a vision."

Katara blinked at her. " _Did_ you have a vision?"

"Would you believe me if I told you Jet's a manipulative sociopath who's going to blow up a dam with four barrels of blasting jelly and flood an entire town?"

"No."

"Then never mind."

When Jet turned back to the group, he wore a troubled expression, but suppressed it almost immediately with a smile. "Smellerbee, why don't you show these guys to their treehouse?" he suggested, making Aang perk up in excitement.

"We get our own treehouse?!" he beamed, hopping from foot-to-foot.

"Of course," he said, a proud smirk spreading across his face. "You guys should put down your stuff and relax for a while. Meet back here for dinner at sundown."

Charlie pursed her lips and turned to leave, following after Smellerbee who walked slightly ahead of them, put paused when Jet called out to Katara.

"I was wondering if you wanted to stay back for a bit, help us set up?" he asked quietly, making her cheeks flush a dark red.

She nodded somewhat frantically. "Sure!"

Charlie rolled her eyes and followed Smellerbee to their appointed treehouse. Aang had gotten distracted by the ziplines again at some point and ran off, leaving Sokka and Charlie sitting alone in the room. They could only joke around for the next hour or so, having nothing important to do, and not particularly feeling comfortable enough to venture out on their own.

When Katara finally met up with them at their treehouse, it was almost time to leave again. Charlie raised an eyebrow when the girl walked through the door. "I didn't realise it took so long to set a table," she said, leaving her back against the panelled wall.

She didn't miss the dark flush that spread across Katara's cheeks. "Oh, we talked for a while too. He's got some amazing stories."

"Sure he does," Sokka muttered bitterly. Katara narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"Anything interesting?" Charlie prompted nonchalantly.

"Actually, something did happen just a few hours ago," she began, taking a seat in front of the two. "Smellerbee and Pipsqueak told Jet that some animal knocked over their cart with the blasting jelly they found at the Fire Nation camp."

Charlie immediately laughed, but covered it up with a spluttering cough when she saw the looks she was receiving. She hid her smile with a sly frown, the corners of her lips pulling tensely downward to stop them from rising. "Oh really? How unfortunate."

"Apparently they said it looked like they rolled down the hill. He's hoping to recover them sometime tomorrow," Katara barreled on, running her fingers through her low ponytail. After Charlie had 'lost' her hair tie, the watertribe girl let the bottom of her hair lie in loose waves, still bound by her neat bun and classic hair-loopies.

"What do they even need the blasting jelly for?" Sokka questioned.

Katara shrugged and shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure, he didn't say."

"So what, you didn't ask?" he pressed.

"Why would I?"

"Because blasting jelly is a weapon," Charlie explained, draping an arm over her knee. "And that much of it could blast clean through a stone wall. Or a dam wall. Just saying." Katara threw her a quick unimpressed look, which Charlie responded to with a lazy shrug.

When the sun had set below the treetops, casting a calm darkness among the forest, the three met up with Aang and went back to the table on a communal platform, where Jet and his Freedom Fighters were already stationed. They'd set up glowing red lanterns hanging from ropes connecting to nearby wooden pillars, and extending high into the trees. She looked up to find children scattered all around, not all joining for the feast, but making their presence known with cheers and whoops.

Charlie took a seat on the edge of the table closest to Jet, right beside Sokka, who was positioned next to Katara, then Aang.

"Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine," Jet announced, stepping up onto the table. He proudly raised his cup, letting the Freedom Fighters voice their approval with enthusiastic cheers. Few gathered around the table, with most taking preference on the tree branches that twisted around them. Sokka crossed his arms and turned the corners of his lips downwards when Katara and Aang joined in, looking up with admiration.

Jet's eyebrows dropped slightly, his eyes narrowing with his smirk. "I got especial joy from the look on one soldier's face when the Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog-monkey!"

Across from Charlie, the Duke joined his leader on the table, throwing his hands up as he danced around, making another chorus of cheers and laughs erupt through the hideout.

"The Fire Nation thinks they don't need to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees. Maybe they're right," Jet continued with a knowing smirk, closing his eyes mischievously. He let the Freedom Fighters voice their resentment through a strain of boos, casually swirling the water in his cup. "Or maybe..." Jet's expression morphed into one so intense it sent a chill down Charlie's spine. "They're _dead wrong._ "

The eruption of joy from the fighters was somewhat alarming given the sinister tone in Jet's voice. She narrowed her eyes at the back of his head as he twisted away, jumping off the table with a thump. He positioned himself between Katara and Sokka, and Charlie wondered if it was tactical, trying to subconsciously create distance and tension between the two sides.

"Hey Jet," Katara said shyly, looking up at him through her lashes. "Nice speech."

Charlie shifted forwards slightly to look past Sokka at Jet. "Yeah, I especially liked the touch of racism and implications of murder. It really added to the delivery," she drawled with a smirk, leaning her chin against her hand.

Jet made eye contact with her so briefly that she didn't even have time to register his expression. With a slight twist of his body, he turned his back to Charlie and Sokka, blocking their view of Katara and Aang. "Thanks Katara. By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending out there."

"Well, _he's_ great," she said, tilting her head towards Aang. "He's the Avatar. I could use some more training."

"The Avatar, huh?" he muttered, twirling the leaf stem in his mouth. "Very nice."

"Thanks, Jet!" Aang smiled out, completely oblivious to the sly undertones in Jet's voice.

"Actually, I might know a way that you and Aang can help our struggle," he said, cutting straight to the point. Was he kidding with this act? There wasn't even a segway into him trying to get their help, and Charlie had no idea how they were buying it.

"Unfortunately," Sokka began, standing up to look down at Jet. "We have to leave tonight." He walked past the table, away from the group with clenched fists.

"Sokka, you're kidding me, you can't leave now. I needed you on an important mission tomorrow." Jet knew exactly what to say to pull Sokka back in. He froze in his spot, loosening his fists and he slowly glanced back over his shoulder.

"What mission?" 

Jet gestured towards the seat Sokka abandoned, luring him back. Sokka let out a struggled sigh and spun on his heel, making his way towards the fighter's side. Charlie didn't miss the sly smirk Jet's lips twitched into for a split second before he clapped a hand to his shoulder.

"I'm glad you decided to hear me out. A few days ago, we got word that there were a group of Fire Nation assassins coming after us, trying to find our base. They'll kill everyone here if they find us." His expression hardened as he paused, looking over his Freedom Fighters before settling his gaze back on Sokka. "I need your help stopping them, before they get to us first."

Judging by the look on his face, Sokka was obviously conflicted. Charlie knew he didn't trust Jet, but he couldn't lose an opportunity to prove himself and save innocent people from the Fire Nation. He grit his teeth and averted his eyes to the table in front of him.

"Okay, I'll help. But afterwards, we really do need to leave."

Jet nodded then looked to her, an expression of false innocence painted on his face as he cocked his head to the side. "Charlie, you're coming too, right?" She knew what game he was playing. She was too risky to be left unsupervised, especially after the recent misplacement of the blasting jelly that Charlie knew Jet was already suspecting her of orchestrating.

Charlie scrunched her nose. "Look, I don't think—" She was cut off by a sharp jab to her side. She shot a glare to Sokka, only to find him staring at her wide-eyed with a pointed look. Charlie narrowed her eyes and shook her head, but Sokka raised his eyebrows, bouncing his gaze rapidly between Charlie and Jet. A moment after their silent conversation, she let out a struggled sigh of annoyance before staring at Jet with an emotionless expression. "—I'd even consider missing it."

She hated how he considered this a win. So when Jet gave his signature proud smirk, Charlie hardly brought her elbow down on the table, propping her head on her hand with wide eyes and a smirk to rival his. "So Jet. I hear your plan to save the village is going well."

To anyone else, it sounded like a compliment, but given what Katara had told her earlier about losing the blasting jelly, she knew it was a sore spot. The intense glare she received from him wasn't surprising, but the fact that no one else noticed was. Or, maybe they had and chose to ignore it, giving the benefit of the doubt to the roguishly charming teen. It was the hair, probably—that semi-dishevelled but undeniably attractive mop that swayed everyone. Charlie only beamed back in response.

The rest of the feast was somewhat uneventful until Katara and Jet scampered off on their own, and Aang left to check on Appa who'd been lazing in the treetops. Sokka and Charlie both decided to retreat back to their treehouse. He walked at a fast past, wanting to get away from the Freedom Fighters, leaving Charlie trailing after him. When she caught up, Sokka turned to look at her.

"Do you know what happened to the blast jelly?" he whispered with a knowing smile.

Charlie quirked back her own pronounced lip-purse. "I may have... temporarily requisitioned it earlier."

"So you stole it," Sokka corrected.

"Let's not get caught up in the details," Charlie said, waving her hand through the air. The two of them came to a stop in front of their treehouse, stepping through the archway into the small room. They were quick to whip out their sleeping bags and settle in, but not before Sokka asked her one last question.

"Do you trust Jet?"

Charlie gave him a quizzical look. "Hell no. Why would I trust that leaf-munching prick?"

He seemed to relax slightly under her words. "Okay good. Neither do I. I still think it was a bad idea for us to stay, even if Jet really did need my help."

She drummed her fingers on the floorboards for a moment in thought. "Well... you're right, but we can't leave."

"Why not?" he quired somewhat impatiently. "Obviously somethings wrong with the guy, so why aren't we high-tailing it out of here?"

"Jet's gonna blow the dam," she muttered, clenching her jaw.

Sokka's eyes went wide. "What?"

"You heard me."

"So that thing you said earlier about Jet being a manipulative sociopath—"

"Yep."

He looked at her dumbfounded for a minute before frantically flailing his arms. "Wha—I would have been more inclined to believe you if you hadn't made a joke out of it."

"It's how I deal with things, don't judge."

"Charlie," he groaned out, rubbing his head with a palm. "Why aren't you taking this more seriously? People could die."

"You think I don't know that?" Charlie narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm taking this seriously, Sokka. That's why I made a back-up plan." She knew it wasn't fair, but she felt a tiny pit of anger grow within her.

"Back-up plan? But we don't even have a main plan!" he argued, throwing his hands out to the side. "And if you do, I'd really like to know, because I'm kind of freaking out here."

Charlie sighed, feeling guilty for getting so blunt with him. "Look, the main plan is to let things run out how they're supposed to." Seeing Sokka's quizzical look, complete with narrowed eyes and a small shake of his head, she continued. "In my vision, you do end up saving the people in the village, and that all happens without my intervention. I know that you'll make the right decisions, and that my vision will follow through. The back-up plan is just a fail-safe. I've already changed things more than I was supposed to just by being here, so I'm not letting the death of hundreds of innocent people be on my shoulders. Okay?"

She didn't make eye-contact with him after her short rant, feeling kind of self-conscious. After a second, she heard him let out a calmed sigh. "Okay. So just act normal. I can do that."

Charlie hummed in agreement. "Good. Just let me handle the back-up, alright? You've got enough weight on your back."

Sokka nodded, and the two turned away from each other in their sleeping bags. Even though Charlie knew the village would be safe, she couldn't help but worry that her mere presence would affect things so much that the outcome would occur differently. She wasn't sure at what point she'd fallen asleep during the night, but before she knew it, it was morning already.

Jet had come around to wake up Charlie and Sokka, instructing them to prepare for the stake-out then meet him outside, which they did slowly and unwillingly. He and a few other Freedom Fighters led them to a gravel pathway which streamed through the forest, just slightly off where the hideout was stationed. They all split up, Jet instructing Charlie and Sokka to climb a tree for a better vantage point.

"Yeah no, I can't do that," Charlie stated casually, blankly staring up the mountainous trunk.

Jet gave an almost condescending tight-lipped smile. "And why is that, Charlie?" She noticed he was starting to slip up his innocent front.

"What makes you think I know how to scale a whole tree? Have you seen my arms?" For good measure, she slightly lifted up the drooping sleeve of her dull green shirt, showing off her thin freckled biceps.

Jet narrowed his eyes with a set jaw. "Fine, you can stay down here and keep watch," he finally decided after a moment of contemplation.

"Works for me," she shrugged easily, walking off the gravel just beyond the red-leaved bushes. She positioned herself in front of the tree Jet and Sokka climbed, squatting behind the shrubs, trying to get the best position to see where Jet would confront the old Fire Nation civilian due to walk by any minute. In the time between being roped into coming at the dinner and the morning, Charlie had formed somewhat of a plan. There was a chance nothing would come of it, considering how stubborn Katara could be, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

After only a few minutes of waiting around, a bird call rang out from above her. She looked up to find Jet cupping his mouth with his palm. A few trees away, Smellerbee completed the call with a response of her own. With one last song of a different tune, Charlie peeked over the red leaves and found the old man hobbling at a slow pace along the gravelled path, coming to a halt when Jet landed ahead of him. He gasped lightly, holding a hand over his heart when Jet stood up, flashing the metal of his hook swords.

"What are you doing in our woods, you leech?" he spat with a glare, scowling the old man down.

"Please sir, I'm just a traveller," he pleaded in an unsteady tone, holding out a hand in surrender.

Jet's eyes narrowed further in response. With a raise of his right arm, he swung his hook sword and brought it down on the old man's walking stick, flinginging out to the left, right where Charlie was. It collided with her chest, and she fell back with a small yelp before muttering obscenities under her breath. Charlie pushed herself up again quick enough to catch the next part of their conversation. Pipsqueak had his foot pressing down on the man's spine while Jet pointed his weapons in his face.

"Do you like destroying towns? Do you like destroying _families_? Do you?!" he growled out with an icy glare.

"Oh, please let me go, have mercy."

"Does the Fire Nation let people go? Does the Fire Nation have mercy?" Without another word, Jet pulled his left leg back, letting it swing towards the cowering man only to be caught at the last minute by Sokka's club. He yelped and hopped on one leg before stumbling around to face the teen.

"Jet! He's just an old man!" Sokka shouted in defence.

"He's Fire Nation," Jet spat as if it were diseased, taking a threatening step forwards and grinding his teeth while staring down Sokka. Without looking back, Jet ordered, "Search him."

"But he's not hurting anyone!"

"Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother?" At Jet's words, Sokka briefly glanced in Charlie's direction somewhat self-consciously. He never talked about his mother. Ever. At least, not to her. She recognised he was wondering if Charlie knew about his mother already, and if she didn't, this wasn't how he wanted her to find out. "Remember why you fight!"

"We've got his stuff, Jet," Smellerbee announced.

In her moment of distraction, Charlie had forgotten to carry through her plan. She whispered out a curse and flicked her eyes over to Smellerbee, who held a small wavy knife and a dark brown bag encroached with a maroon Fire Nation insignia. Did that knife belong to the old man? She couldn't tell. Charlie scrambled to pick up the old man's discarded walking stick and push her way out of the bushes, behind Jet near Smellerbee and Pipsqueak.

"This doesn't feel right," Sokka admitted, eyebrows furrowed with his hands clenched by his sides. He looked over Jet's shouter to make eye contact with Charlie, who only gave him a serious look in return. She was counting on him to follow the plan.

Jet was still towering over him, taking another step forwards, close enough for the leaf stem which protruded from his lips to brush at Sokka's skin. "It's what has to be done. Now let's get out of here." 

Pushing his way past Sokka, the two Freedom Fighters went to follow until Charlie held out her hand, making them pause and look at her with curiosity. "What's wrong?" Smellerbee asked.

"I can carry his stuff," Charlie offered casually, gesturing to the old man's bag. Seeing the unsure look on her face, she continued. "If we run into another assassin, it's probably better your hands are free instead of mine."

The answer seemed to satisfy the two enough, as Smellerbee handed over the bag and knife without further question. So, the knife was his then.

The Freedom Fighters followed after their leader, leaving Sokka and Charlie behind. She took the moment alone to quickly inspect the knife in her right hand. It was strange—she distinctly remembered in the episode that the knife Jet showed the gang had a hidden poisonous cartridge embedded in the hilt, but there was nothing like that on this one. He must have switched the knives out at some point.

When she glanced up at Sokka, he wore a sympathetic expression, full of regret. Silently, she placed the walking stick she'd picked up on the ground next to the old man and sent a nod of encouragement to Sokka. His frown deepened further when Jet had called out to them once more. "Charlie, Sokka, come on!"

Hesitantly, he turned away from the old man and walked next to her in silence. Charlie clapped her right hand to Sokka's back over his leather boomerang sheath for a few moments in solidarity. When she finally stepped away, she rummaged through the old man's bag, finding nothing important.

Arriving back at the hideout, Jet had taken the bag from her, his jaw locking while that smirk that she hated so, so much spread across his face. She was glad he was finally gone. Charlie didn't like being around him for extended periods of time. Her and Sokka sat with their backs pressed against the tree on the platform outside their treehouse, simultaneously emitting a mixture of regret and anger.

Not long after, Aang had swung past on a zipline with Momo, jumping off with childish glee. "Guys, look what the Duke gave me!" he exclaimed, reaching into the bag hanging from his shoulder. Aang pulled out one small circular pellet and gave Momo a sly grin before tossing it between the lemurs feet. He hissed in shock as it exploded into a cloud of sparks and smoke. Momo leaped onto Aang and dug into his bag, pulling out four more pellets of his own and throwing them at Aang's feet in retribution. "Ow, quit it!"

Just then Katara walked out from their treehouse at the sound of the commotion. "Hey guys." she greeted. Charlie twisted around, balancing one arm out on her raised knee. Katara stood shyly, a hint of blush to her cheeks and her arms hidden coyly behind her back. "Is Jet back yet?"

Charlie rolled her eyes and turned away from the waterbender, thumping the back of her head against the tree. She couldn't wrap her head around Katara's crush on Jet. To put it bluntly—he was a dick, and Charlie wasn't even sure he had enough redeeming qualities to compensate for it. Occasionally she could see through him, finding the remains of a scared child behind his darkened eyes, but he always seemed to shove it away. She didn't like him at all, and she was more than sure the feeling was mutual.

"Yeah, he's back, but we're leaving," Sokka started abruptly. Charlie didn't say anything. She knew that he was only saying what was necessary to follow the plan, and he wouldn't actually be able to convince them to leave.

"What?" Aang asked, stopping his struggle with Momo in confusion.

"But I made him this hat." From Katara's back, she pulled out the most hideous orange and red beanie type of thing Charlie had ever seen. She grimaced at it and looked away again.

"Your boyfriend's a thug," Sokka said darkly, arms crossed over his chest.

The waterbender was taken aback. "What?" she protested, raising an eyebrow at her brother. "No he's _not_."

"He's messed up, Katara. Charlie tried to tell us from the start, but no one's listening," he pressed further, gesturing to her beside him.

"He's not messed up, he's just got a different way of life," Aang added lightly in defence. "A really _fun_ way of life!"

"He beat and robbed a harmless old man," Sokka argued with a frown, slight hostility in his tone.

Katara crossed her arms, giving both Charlie and Sokka a dark look. "I want to hear Jet's side of the story," she demanded, staring them down.

Charlie decided to finally intervene, standing up and slowly making her way over to the girl as she spoke. "Listen Katara, I get you're not used to meeting guys your age, and you're probably feeling flustered when you're around him. Fine—he's got nice hair." From behind her, Sokka threw his arms out to the sides in confusion. "But listen to me closely. Right now, Jet is _not_ a good guy." Katara's expression faltered, her folded arms loosening until they slowly retreated downwards.

"N—no. You're wrong, Charlie. He's trying to save a village."

"He's _trying_ to save himself. Come on, Katara, why would I lie to you about this?" Charlie asked rhetorically, cocking an eyebrow. Seeing the waterbender remain silent, Charlie sighed and shook her head. "Do what you want, but when he asks you to refill a dam, maybe try second guessing his motives," she stated casually, taking a step back.

"Refilling a dam? What are you talking about?" Katara questioned, narrowing her eyes.

Charlie looked back at Sokka with a casual expression. "Does everyone just forget that I'm psychic when it's convenient to them? Like, come on, guys."

Katara's eyes widened noticeably, and she stumbled on her words. "I—I need to talk with Jet." Charlie nodded and looked back at her one last time before spinning on her heel, holding her arm out to Sokka, who still sat cross-legged on the platform. Quirking a small smile of gratitude, he latched onto her forearm and pulled himself up. They followed after Katara and Aang, who were already hurriedly crossing the plank bridge towards Jet's hut.

When the four of them walked in, finding Jet sitting on a hanging bench at the back of the red-lit room. He greeted them with a friendly smile. "Hey guys! I've been meaning to thank you for all your help today in protecting our hideout." Charlie scoffed for two reasons. The first being that he'd conveniently waited until they had an audience to thank the two, and the second, she'd hardly helped at all. Jet was obviously searching for a way to humble himself in front of Aang and Katara.

"I'm glad to see you guys getting along," Katara mentioned in sceptical surprise.

"Yeah, Sokka, Red and I are good, in fact they were great on the mission," he lied easily with a grin.

Charlie recoiled slightly, furrowing her eyebrows. "How original. Since when am I Red?" she snorted out, unimpressed by the nickname.

She and Sokka seemed to be the only ones in the hut that caught his smirk. "Since you helped save my life." It was Charlie's turn to be surprised now.

"Since I did what?"

"See Charlie, I think this was all a misunderstanding," Katara urged, walking to her side before looking back at Jet. "Her and my brother said that you beat and robbed an old man," she said, sending a glare towards the two. "But I'm sure there's more to it than that, right?"

Jet shut his eyes and inhaled sharply. "You guys told them what happened but you didn't mention that the guy was Fire Nation?"

Sokka groaned, pressing his back to the wall of the hut with crossed arms. "No, they conveniently left that part out," Katara drawled out, looking cooly back at her brother.

  
"Fine, but even if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian," Sokka argued back, looking past his sister. He pushed himself away from the wood, coming to stand by Katara and Charlie.

Jet reached behind his back and pulled out a sharp knife with a spiked golden hilt, and a ring protruding from the end. "He was an assassin, Sokka." He plunged the tip into a wooden log in front of him, letting it stand straight. Charlie smirked at his mistake. "See? There's a compartment for poison in the knife," he explained, twisting at the ring until a clear vile of a bright red liquid was lifted out. "He was sent to eliminate me. Sokka, Red, without you guys there I might be dead."

"I knew there was an explanation," Katara smiled in relief.

"Not so fast, Jet," Charlie began, her lips curling into a smirk. "That wasn't the knife the old guy had on him." Jet's expression faltered for a split second, and everyone turned to look at her. "You switched them out."

Jet scoffed at the accusation, rising to his feet. "Of course I didn't," he lied.

"Charlie, do you have any proof?" Aang asked, his grey eyes wide.

"Duh." She reached over to Sokka—or more so his back—and pulled the real knife out of his boomerang sheath, holding it loosely between her fingers as she held it up to Jet in all its glory. The small, wavy knife glinted red under the lanterns.

"Wha—" Sokka reached over his head to his back, feeling the leather weapon holder before giving Charlie a shocked look. "When did you put that there?"

"While we were walking back. I call it _reverse pickpocketing._ Comes in handy," she said casually, carelessly waving around the knife. Turning back to Jet with a glint in her eyes, she stopped moving the knife, pointing it directly at him. "What's wrong, Jet?"

He froze in his seat, but kept his expression black. "You guys don't actually believe this, do you?" Jet asked, not removing his eyes from the knife.

"Well..." Aang began, unsure of himself. He shifted his weight from foot-to-foot uneasily.

"I'm not sure," Katara admitted, looking between them all.

Charlie let her arm drop, and Jet let out a breath of air through his nose. "You guys can make that decision on your own." She slammed the knife into the wall of the hut, letting it remain stuck there as she let her hand go.

"We're out of here," Sokka muttered, turning on his heel and pushing his way out of the room. Aang and Katara shared a worried look and quickly left the hut, leaving Charlie and Jet staring each other down alone.

Jet broke the silence with a smirk. "We found the blasting jelly barrels earlier," he began, the floorboards groaning as he stepped closer.

"Good for you. Now you can use them to—oh, what was it again? Prompt my memory, Jet." Charlie tapped her chin tauntingly.

"Don't think I don't know what you did, Red. Behind a bush? Thought you would have done a little better than that."

Charlie shrugged, a small frown playing on her lips. "I did my job. Have fun trying to do yours. I have a feeling Katara and Aang are going to be a bit less-than-willing to help you out."

"We'll see about that," he said with a locked jaw, the smirk crawling across his face. He pushed past Charlie, jogging after Katara and Aang. She could still hear his muffled voice through the thin walls. "Tell me you aren't leaving. I really need your help. The Fire Nation is planning on burning down our forest. If you both use waterbending to fill the dam today, we could fight the fires. But if you leave now, they'll destroy the whole valley."

Charlie smiled in satisfaction before leaving after Sokka. 

She found him back at their treehouse, shoving all of his belongings back into his bag. "Woah, woah, hang on, you're not actually leaving right?" she asked, standing in the doorway.

"Of course not," Sokka said, giving her a strange look. "Whatever Jet's planning is happening soon, so we've gotta be ready to leave straight after we're done."

"Oh, right," Charlie uttered out in realisation. "Good plan."

Hearing commotion outside, she popped her head back out the door, peering over the platform's edge. Five Freedom Fighters stood far below, pushing and pulling at the cart which held four barrels. She furrowed her eyebrows. There was something wrong about what she was seeing, and it took a moment for the cogs in her brain to catch up.

It was still day time, and they were already trying to prepare the blasting jelly. This was supposed to happen overnight. Charlie's eyes widened and she flung back to Sokka.

"Sokka. Sokka, it's happening now. We've gotta go," she rushed out, tugging at his arm.

"What? As in _right now?_ " he asked, dropping his bag.

"As in if you don't get off your ass _right now_ there won't be a village to save. Shit! We were supposed to have more time," Charlie rambled, not noticing that she started pacing circles around Sokka. "This was supposed to happen tomorrow. Why are they changing it? Did I push too far this time?"

"Hey hey hey, slow down, we still have time to fix this." Sokka stood up and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to stop pacing.

"Okay. Okay let's think this through. Jet, Katara and Aang are together right now, probably already starting to fill the reservoir. The other Freedom Fighters just head up to the dam so they can rig it to explode," Charlie explained quickly. "Where do we need to be?"

"We could split up?" Sokka suggested. "One of us goes to evacuate the village, the other tries to stop the dam from blowing."

Charlie grimaced slightly, then sheepishly smiled. "Oh... about that, I kind of have a confession to make."

Across at the reservoir, Katara and Aang trailed slightly behind Jet, sharing a look of discomfort. After Charlie confronted Jet earlier, they weren't so sure they could trust him anymore, but they made a silent agreement to play nice and see what happened.

"So Jet," Katara began after a moment. "Sorry about how Charlie and Sokka have been acting."

"No worries." He took the leaf stem from his mouth, holding it between the pads of his finger and thumb. "Red already apologised for both of them, right after you two left."

Aang furrowed his eyebrows and met Katara's eyes briefly. That wasn't like her at all. "She... apologised." It wasn't so much of a question, but more a statement of disbelief.

"Yeah, I was surprised too. She really seemed to have it out for me," Jet said with a small chuckle. "But I think we're good now."

Aang sensed the air shift before it happened. Under his feet, a burst of hot hair rose, throwing him upwards. He landed softly, using his airbending to slow his fall.

"Alright, we're here," Jet announced. "Underground water's been trying to escape from these vents. I need you guys to help it along."

"I don't know..." Katara muttered, looking at the steaming geysers. "The rainy season is just about to start, what will happen if it overflows? This reservoir leads straight to the village."

"Oh, that won't be a problem. I know you guys can do this," Jet said with a small smirk. Katara furrowed her eyebrows in thought. It wasn't exactly reasonable for Jet to assume the village would remain safe. In fact, filling the reservoir would probably amount to a danger hazard more than anything. She thought back to the words Charlie said earlier about the dam.

_Second guess his motives._

Suddenly, Katara didn't think she could trust Jet all that much anymore.

She threw a look at Aang, encouraging him to follow along, just for now, and he nodded in return. Together, they worked the water out of the geysers until the pressure built up enough within to pour a steady stream into the reservoir without their guidance, and when Jet left, they stopped.

Charlie and Sokka rushed to the dam together in time to bump into Aang and Katara on a cliff's edge. The Freedom Fighters were in the midst of removing the blasting jelly barrels out of the cart and arranging them around the wall of the dam.

"Charlie! Sokka!" Aang gasped, jogging over to the two. "We're so sorry, we should have listened to you guys. Jet really _is_ gonna blow up the dam! I shouldn't have questioned your ability to lead, Sokka." He then turned to Charlie. "And I should have known to listen to you too, you're psychic and you've always tried to help us—"

"Aang, I appreciate the sentiment, but now really isn't the time for this," Charlie cut him off, holding up a hand. The airbenders lips formed into a small 'oh' and he nodded frantically.

Katara hurried forwards to join them, saying, "We need to stop Jet!"

Flipping open his glider, Aang went to leap off the cliff towards the Freedom Fighters, only for Jet to tackle him from the side, sending them both crashing down.

"I can't let you do that, Aang," he said cryptically, eyes closed as he stood up from the squat he'd landed in.

"And we can't let _you_ blow this dam," Katara stated in anger, clenching her fists by her side. She could really be terrifying, sometimes.

"If you guys would just stop to think for one second, you'd see I'm doing the right thing! Think about what the Fire Nation did to your mother." Jet's gaze fixed onto Aang. "To your _people_. We can't let them do that to anyone else, ever again."

"This is _not_ the answer, Jet!" Katara said, rage spiking through her.

"I want you to understand me, Katara." Jet fixed Katara a coy smile, his head slightly tilted and his eyes so intense that it almost made Charlie want to gag.

"If you think that's gonna work on her now, you're stupider than I thought," Charlie quipped, taking a protective step in front of the waterbender. His eyes darkened, almost blackening as he glared at Charlie, who only scoffed in taunt.

Without hesitation, Jet reached behind his back and brought out his hook swords, raising his left arm and bringing it down towards Charlie. She raised her arms to block it, but it was thankfully caught in mid-air by a wall of ice. Sending a grateful smile to Katara, Charlie ducked around the ice wall just in time to see Sokka take a swing at Jet with his battle club, who struggled to free his hook sword from the ice. Jet ducked and rolled away as the club shattered the ice, allowing Charlie to rip the hook sword out and point it threateningly at the boy, as if daring him to move. When he tried standing, Aang picked up his glider and sent a compressed wave of air towards Jet, causing him to fling into the base of a tree. Katara melted what was left of the ice and blew the steam at Jet, confining him in an ice block as he lay collapsed on the floor.

"I can't believe I trusted you," she growled out, holding her head high. "You lied to us. You're _sick!_ "

Jet only smirked as if he'd already won. Turning his head away from them to stare at the dam in the distance, he whistled out a bird call.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked, eyes slowly widening in realisation as the call was responded to with a similar tone.

"You're too late," he taunted, the smile playing at his lips. "You've already lost."

Katara whipped around, the wind blowing through her low ponytail as it seemed to pick up at that very moment. "No," she breathed, watching as a flaming arrow soared through the air before shooting on a downwards trajectory in front of the dam. " _NO!_ "

When the dam didn't explode, Charlie let out the breath she'd been holding and gave a single perfunctory and condescending laugh, to which she gained multiple confused looks. "What's wrong, Jet?" she asked, tilting her head back over her shoulder to stare down at the boy. "Was something supposed to happen right about now?"

His face quickly morphed into one twisted with resentment and burning rage. "What did you _do?!_ " he screamed, thrashing in the confinement of ice.

"I didn't do _anything._ You were the ones who mixed up the blasting jelly and the jellied candy." Charlie turned her body to fully face him and cocked her head. "Well, I suppose I did do a little something. I had to swap the two somehow, so I tipped the cart as a diversion, emptied the barrels and filled them with the candy, then hid them in the bush. I did want you to find it, after all."

"Why not put them back in the cart?" he asked through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.

"I just wanted to inconvenience you," she admitted with a shrug. "And those things were heavy." It wasn't the full truth, to be honest. She wanted to play him, to make him feel like he was winning when he'd confronted her about finding the barrels. It made this part more fun. "Come on, Jet. You didn't really think you were the only one of us capable of being vindictive, did you?" she whispered sweetly, a chaotic smile playing on her lips."

"Ch—Charlie, that's genius! When did you have the time to come up with that?"

"Within five minutes of us meeting them," Charlie said with a shrug, turning her back to a seriously pissed off Jet.

"Wait, so you knew he was gonna blow the dam the whole time?" Katara began with furrowed brows. "Why didn't you tell any of—oh... sorry."

"You're all fools," Jet muttered, shaking his head. "We could have freed this valley."

"Who would be free?" Sokka asked. "Everyone would be dead."

"You traitor!"

"No, Jet." Sokka stated strongly, looking down at the damned boy. "You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people."

"Katara," he pleaded, looking at the waterbender with wide eyes. "Please, help me."

She closed her eyes, pulling the invisible threads away from him as she walked towards her friends. "Goodbye, Jet."

The four ventured further into the red forest, making their distance with Jet. When they were far enough, Aang called for Appa, who Sokka and Charlie had already prepared with all their belongings. It was sunset when they'd finally flown away from Jet's forest, a victory in their hands.

"Just for the record," Charlie piped up, trying to lighten the mood. "I tried really hard to hide it so this might come as a shock to you—I never liked Jet."

Sokka and Katara deadpanned at her from the opposite side of the saddle. "Wow, really?" she snarked, leaning against the curved lip of the leather. "I would have never guessed."

"You know Charlie," Aang piped up from Appa's reign. "That was pretty scary what you said to Jet back there."

She did think she may have gone a little over-the-top with her victory speech—if that's what you'd call it. "Oh, yeah, I guess that's just something I picked up from my dad."

"How so?" he asked curiously. She could tell how it also piqued Sokka and Katara's interest, considering she'd never actually spoken about her family to them. She didn't see much of a point most of the time.

"Don't take shit from men. That's a direct quote from him."

Katara's face broke out into a smile. "I like that quote."

Charlie closed her eyes, letting the afternoon sun warm her as they flew slowly through the air. She relaxed into the saddle with a content sigh.

Feeling a presence shuffle next to her, she peeked open one eye to find Sokka staring down at her, blocking the path of the sun. "What's up?" she asked, settling back into her position.

"Just wondering what's got you so happy."

She shrugged lightly, lazily flopping her hand as if to say, 'move, you're blocking my sun'. Sokka seemed to get the hint, instead sitting with his back against the supplies behind them.

"I mean, Aang and Katara didn't fill the dam, the village was saved, and Katara broke up with her sociopathic boyfriend. I don't know about you guys, but I'm counting this as a major win," she insisted, casually pumping her fist.

"Did everything go according to your vision?" he wondered aloud, fiddling with his hands.

"Technically, no. The village was supposed to be destroyed because Katara and Aang filled the dam, but you managed to evacuate everyone." Charlie cracked open her eyes again, lulling her head over to her right where Sokka sat. She found that he wasn't just twitching his hands, but carving that piece of wood again with his knife.

"Good to know your visions are wrong sometimes," he chuckled out. She knew he wasn't really being offensive, so she wasn't really bothered by his comment. That, and that she wasn't a real psychic, so nothing he said about them would annoy her anyway.

Charlie hummed in response. "Seriously, what're you even trying to make with that thing? I swear you've been hacking away at it for weeks at it looks exactly the same. Maybe even worse."

Sokka's jaw dropped slightly. "Hey! Don't hate on the process, okay? Wood carving is a _skill_."

"A skill you don't have, apparently," she drawled out, eyeing the wooden blob in his hands.

Before he could retort, Aang spun around to face them. "Guys! I know where I want to go next!" he announced, hopping over to the saddle and placing the map in the middle. Charlie pushed herself up and looked at his finger, where it pointed to some spot that looked like a squiggle. "One of nature's wonders! The Great Divide."

Charlie let out an extended groan, continuing it as she flopped back down onto the saddle. "I hate that episode," she muttered under her breath, gaining three looks of concern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why was this episode so long? I don't even like this episode. Anyways, I always thought it would be funny to see Jet mix up the blasting jelly and jelly candy since the show seemed to give so much attention to that scene. I also figured I wanted Charlie to save the village people from being homeless because of Jet, so I did :D I hope you like the little twist I put in at the end, it was hard writing without giving it away. I wrote Charlie a little more badass in this chapter, rather than her usually witty/carefree self, so I hope you guys like it. Also this chapter title is a pun. 


	10. The Worst Episode

If you were to ask Charlie if she were sulking, she'd say of course not. She was merely refusing to help in setting up the camp in protest because she wanted absolutely no involvement in the episode. She sat on the tan rock ledge dusted with a light coat of dirt, arms crossed over her chest. The tent Sokka was wrestling with from the inside to set up casted a small area of shadow from the afternoon sun which she sat under. Charlie stared out evenly at the distance where she could already see the Great Divide.

The glare had been etched onto her face ever since Aang decided it would be fun to visit the site. Maybe she was overreacting.

"Charlie, aren't you going to help?" Katara asked, finally returning from the base of the hill they'd set up camp on with a bundle of sticks in her arms.

Charlie blinked at her once. "No." She'd been blunt with them all day, which was unusual given she generally didn't stop talking.

Seeing how the waterbender's face twitched in irritation, Charlie shuffled to turn her back to the girl.

"Um, aren't you forgetting the tarp?" Katara asked her brother, already aggravated by her.

Sokka looked down at the wrapped tart at his feet. "Right, got it," he said, promptly grabbing it and throwing it inside the opening of the tent.

"You're supposed to put it _on top_ of the tent, you know, so we don't get rained on?" she drawled out.

"Ordinarily, you'd be right," he began with a shrug. "But seeing how it's the _dry_ season, you're not. Besides, that tarp makes a pretty warm blanket."

"But what if it does rain?" she pressed.

"What if it doesn't? Then I would have put it up for nothing."

"Charlie, will it rain today?" Katara asked with a cocky grin and raised eyebrows, trying to prove her point. Sokka also gave her a look that matched his sisters.

She glared at the two. "I don't predict the weather."

Both of their faces twitched.

Katara snapped, arms tightening around the sticks she'd collected. "Ugh, you're both so infuriating!"

"Katara, how about you stick to gathering the firewood, because that kindling's looking pretty sorry."

"Well if you don't like my firewood—" Katara threw the bundle at her brother, letting them crash into him before falling to the ground.

"Fine by me! If you're not gonna do your job—" Sokka ripped off the rope which held the tent together, making it collapse in on itself.

It was terrible timing, but Aang finally decided to make his return, finding himself positioned between three angry teens glaring daggers at each other. "Okay guys, I got the grub if you guys—" He cut himself off when Katara and Sokka spun away from each other with arms crossed and noses upturned, and Charlie stopped looking over her shoulder with a huff. "Hey, where's the campfire? And what happened to the tent?"

"Why don't you ask Ms Know It All, Queen of the Twigs," Sokka offered in a mutter.

"Oh yeah?" Katara pushed, spinning back around. "Well, you're Mr Lazy Bum, King of the..." She ducked down to grab a discarded stick, punting it at the back of her brother's head. "Tents!" Sokka let out a yelp when it hit, flailing his arms in the air as he turned back to glare at Katara.

"Your wit astounds me Katara," Charlie drawled out lazily, slinging her arm over her knee. She didn't have to turn around to know the waterbender was glaring daggers at the back of her skull.

"Okay guys, harsh words aren't gonna solve any of your problems." Aang peered over at Charlie, who sat silently with a darkened expression. "And neither will no words at all." She pursed her lips and glanced back over her shoulder at the kid too wise for his age. She used that statement lightly—after all, he was technically a one-hundred-and-twelve-year-old man—but to her, Aang was just a boy. "Why don't you just switch jobs? Katara, you can set up the tent, Sokka, you can collect the firewood, and Charlie—" He stopped himself short, watching as she cocked an eyebrow. "Youuuuu cannnnn, uh... go with one of them?"

Charlie rolled her eyes, but never-the-less stood up, brushing off the red dirt that stuck to the denim she wore. "Works for me. Sokka, wait up."

Sokka—having already begun walking away from the camp—slowed to a stop and looked over his shoulder in slight surprise as he patiently waited for her to catch up. "You didn't want to help Katara?"

She scoffed lightly, nodding her head in the waterbenders direction. "Would you wanna be standing anywhere in her general vicinity right now?" Simultaneously glancing at the girl, they found Katara still with her face red in anger, jamming the tent pole through one fabric fold only for it to violently burst from the other side, consequently stabbing at least three inches into the rock below.

"Point taken," Sokka nodded. They fell into step with each other while making their way down the mountain side where the trees began, Charlie was gifted with the all-important job of holding the sticks he meticulously chose. Something about how he needed both hands free at all times to properly inspect the quality of the wood, which Charlie only scoffed at while calling him a nerd.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Sokka had begun, briefly pausing to look at her with another stick still held up close to his eyes.

"Of course it is. I know you still geek out over the Kyoshi Warriors. Justified of course, but is the shrine really necessary?"

"Wha—just because I have a spare bag dedicated to my uniform it doesn't really classify as a _shrine—_ "

"It may as well, I mean you practically worship that thing. Don't think I didn't notice you embroider it with flowers after Katara taught you to sew."

"Those were supposed to be _warrior fans_ and they're deadly weapons!"

She couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as he ranted about the benefits of the weapons in trained hands. Of course, Charlie internally agreed with his points, but couldn't resist the debate. It was only when they began walking back up the side of the mountain that she began to remember the context of the episode that would definitely prove to be extremely boring. She truthfully didn't know how she made it through the first time, and that was only a twenty-four-minute episode anyway. This time it would be more like twenty-four hours. How fun.

Maybe she was being overly harsh, but Charlie didn't do well when she was bored. As an only child, she'd learnt to keep herself busy growing up, and there were only rare occasions where she was truly bored out of her mind. Her dad was always energetic too, so it filled the friendless void she'd come to know growing up.

"Charlie? You listening?" Sokka's voice cut through suddenly, and Charlie blinked.

"Hmm? Oh sorry, sometimes I tune out when other people talk," she joked, pushing those emotions deep, deep down.

"I was just saying how it's so stupid that Katara actually put up the tarp," he complained to her as they reached the campsite, where it was indeed set up over their tent. Charlie thought it was kind of strange, considering they rarely used tents anyway. She didn't even know they had a tent.

"Why was this an issue again?" Charlie asked casually.

"Because the probability that it's gonna rain during the dry season is so low! We'd be wasting our energy putting it up." She could practically see the gears turning in his head the seconds before he turned to her with a bright childish grin. "Hey, you're psychic!"

"That I am. I'm glad you've finally agreed, I only wish we had more witnesses for this though so I could hold it over your head for the rest of your life. Anyways, continue?"

"Is it gonna rain tonight?"

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "I'm not a meteorologist, how am I supposed to know that? Nothing's changed from when Katara asked like an hour ago."

"Ehh it was worth a shot." Charlie let out a struggled sigh for a moment before shoving the bundle of sticks to Sokka's chest, where he fumbled with them for a moment. She dramatically held two fingers against her temple, giving a dramatic hum.

"Oh great universe. Will it rain today?" she asked, voice monotonous and dry while pausing for a moment of dramatic effect. Really, she took that time to play through the episode at twenty times speed in her mind before dropping her hand and looking back at Sokka. "Answer's no. It won't rain, and you're welcome."

"Wait are you serious? It's not gonna rain? And you're one-thousand percent sure?" Sokka asked, eyebrows shooting upwards into his ponytail, which he _insisted_ against actually being a ponytail.

"The universe is never wrong, Sokka. Neither am I, remember that for the next time I give my opinion on something and you conveniently no longer believe in my psychic abilities," she said, pointing at him knowingly.

He rolled his eyes dramatically as they finally returned to the campsite, rejoining with Katara and Aang. The rest of the night was spent huddled around the campfire while eating through their food supply, mostly cured meats and fruits they collected. Aang didn't join them in the tent, preferring to sleep outside and using his Airbending to warm the air around him—something Charlie found extremely awesome. Sokka, Katara and Charlie slept in the tent within their own sleeping bags. She still didn't understand why they had the tent out, but it was definitely more comfortable than sleeping on the ground.

It was a tight squeeze to fit them all in—having to play a game of Human Jenga until they found the most comfortable position. Sokka was on the far right, Charlie the far left, and Katara was in between, however slept with the bottom of her sleeping bag near the top of theirs. 

The next morning they'd awoken with the sunrise, packing up camp and being pushed onto Appa by an ecstatic airbender. Charlie dragged her feet, wanting desperately to not have to live through the episode. Aang, however, was blissfully unaware of her displeasure, blasting her onto Appa's saddle with a stream of air. They didn't have to fly for long to reach their destination.

"We're almost here guys!" Aang cheered, throwing his arms over the lip of the saddle from where he stood on Appa's head. "I can't wait for you to see it, it's the biggest canyon in the Earth Kingdom."

"Or—" Charlie began, holding up a finger. "We could keep flying. I have this crushing fear of canyons, you know, it's really bad. Like I see one and suddenly I'm having an existential crisis about how insignificant I am in the world. We could easily avoid that right now if we just wanted to fly over it instead. I've heard the best point of view is from a bird's eye, massive peripherals—have you seen their visual fields? Up to three-hundred degrees which is essential for survival against predator species."

During her rant, she hadn't realised everyone had gone silent and was staring at her—Katara seemed a little annoyed because she clearly wanted to see the canyon, Aang looked somewhat worried, and Sokka had his mouth hanging open slightly with the corners of his lips turned upwards, a mixture of shock and amusement.

"I learnt that one from the Discovery Channel," she joked, throwing a lopsided smile to Sokka. He only let out an entertained breath and shook his head slightly, looking out over the canyon where they slowly came closer to the cliff. She didn't expect him to understand half the things that were coming out of her mouth—hell, she barely knew what she was talking about half the time—but at least someone found her funny.

"You're so weird," he stated, the wind blowing his ponytail upwards as Appa came to a quick landing.

"And you're a nerd, so—" Charlie ended her argument with a shrug, as if that was all she needed to say for her point to be true.

Momo was the first to jump off Appa, shooting straight into the air and performing a loop, followed by Aang and Katara. Sokka lifted himself over the edge of the saddle, holding onto the lip and preparing to drop to the ground when he hesitated. "Hey, I don't wanna be here either, I mean it's just a pile of rocks. But you look really, _really_ annoyed," he said pointedly, pressing his feet into Appa's side to stop him slipping. "Like you've had this constipated look on your face since we left Jet. And I know his presence has that effect on people but—"

Charlie cut him off with a raise of her hand. "I'm fine Sokka, don't think too hard about it. You might overwork your brain, it can only take so much."

"Okay good. That's good—I was just checking," he said, nodding his head. Charlie gave him a weird look, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on man, I just insulted you and all you care about is my wellbeing?" she commented dryly. "That's so lame."

"You know what else is lame?" Sokka said. "You."

Charlie sent him a glare, then glanced down at his hands which gripped the side of the saddle and kept him from falling. Without hesitation, she licked both of her hands and went to put them on top of his, only for him to pull away and let out a yelp as he fell to the ground. She let out a satisfied chuckle before jumping off the saddle herself.

"There it is guys—The Great Divide," Aang announces with a grin, letting Momo land on his shoulder.

"Wow," Katara breathed in awe. "I could just stare at it forever."

"Okay," Sokka said. "I've seen enough." He spun on his heels completely uninterested, walking back towards Appa.

Charlie was quick to follow in tow. "Perfect! Let's go before the existential crisis hits." She pressed her hands against Appa's side, her arms buried deep beneath his fur as she gave him an encouraging push that left her feet sliding across the dirt-covered rocks. The bison only groaned his disapproval, remaining unaffected by Charlie's attempts.

A loud and painfully annoying voice pierced through the air from behind, catalysing the migraine behind her eyes. "Hey!" the boy exclaimed in his awfully naisily tone. "If you're looking for the Canyon Guide, I was here first!"

Charlie planted her face into Appa's fur to muffle the groan she let out.

"Ooh, a Canyon Guide?" Katara questioned, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she clapped her hands together. "Sounds informative." For the next few minutes, they entertained him while Charlie took the opportunity to tune them out and stand with her face buried in Appa's side. She didn't really know what was going on until she heard Katara state, "You're a refugee!"

The guy scoffed condescendingly, turning his nose up. "Tell me something I don't know," he snided.

"Frogs can't swallow with their eyes open." When all eyes shot to her, Charlie blinked unmoving, her face blank. Sokka looked at her somewhat dumbfounded with narrowed eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. "True fact."

"Is that your tribe?" Katara asked suddenly, pointing into the distance where a cluster of people donned in dark brown and red tunics flocked towards the cliff.

With clenched fists and a sour expression, he exclaimed, "It most certainly is _not!_ That's the Zhang tribe, a bunch of low-life thieves—"

Charlie tuned out again. She turned around, leaning her back against Appa instead and crossing one leg over the other. By the time she started listening again, Aang had cracked his pacifist exterior and was yelling orders to both tribes.

"You're all going down together and Appa here will fly your sick and elderly across!" she heard him say, his voice carrying through the canyon. "Does that seem fair?!"

Both tribe leaders shared a disgruntled expression at the suggestion, but hesitantly agreed regardless. Charlie realised she hadn't spoken in a while and wanted to contribute to the conversation.

"I'll preface this by saying I think this is a terrible idea," she quipped flippantly, re-joining the group at Sokka and Katara's sides. Her concerns went unnoticed by most as Aang rounded up the sick and elderly, guiding them to climb onto Appa's tail to make climbing into the saddle easier. "Seriously, do we have to be involved in this one?"

"Aang, Charlie might be right," Sokka began, walking up to the airbender. "This feuding stuff is serious business, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I don't know Sokka. But I can't stand by and do nothing when I could at least try to help them," he said softly, taking a glance at the ground below. His gloom didn't last for long though, as he looked back up with a wide grin. "But when have I ever been sure of anything?"

Katara placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's the Avatar, guys. Making peace between people is his job."

"But he's a kid, first," Charlie added, her voice steady. Aang gave her an appreciative smile, to which she gave him a slightly awkward pat on the head.

Her attention was briefly taken away by a chorus of complaints and angry groans from both tribes about not being allowed to bring food into the canyon. Charlie rolled her eyes and scoffed slightly, looking back to Aang who gave Appa a pat under his horn. "See you on the other side, buddy."

"Take me with you," Charlie whispered in desperation to the bison.

"Yip yip!" She could only watch longfully as Appa rose and began his trip over the canyon. With a sigh, she turned around to find Sokka giving her an amused look. "What?" she demanded with slight hostility, defensively folding her arms over her chest.

"Nothing," he flippantly remarked, holding his palms up in surrender.

"Right-o everyone! Your ten minutes are up, so that food better be in your gut or in the garbage!" the guide announced from his rock pedestal, hands cupping his mouth.

"Come on, Charlie," she muttered to herself. "If you're being forced to live out this disappointment of an episode, the least you can do is not make it suck. And who cares if you mess up the ending, this is a damn filler anyways."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what any of that means."

Charlie looked at him semi-surprised. She hadn't realised he'd been listening, or even that she'd said that all out loud. "Good." She turned back to both tribes, cupping her mouth with one hand. "Hey losers! I know you all have food with you, so give it up now or no one's crossing this damn canyon!" Seeing no one make a move, Charlie rolled her eyes and continued. "I'm not stupid. And I know one of you's packed an egg custard tart, as if that's not gonna spoil."

"H—how did you know?" one of the Zhang spluttered out, pulling said egg custard tart out of his bag. The entire Gan Jin tribe gasped in offence, earning a glare from Charlie.

"Oh shut up, I know you still have food too," she jeered before holding two fingers to her temple. "And I'm psychic, _that's_ how."

"Everyone was trying to smuggle food down there? Unbelievable!" Aang cracked, an involuntary blast of air covering the ground as he slammed his staff down.

"I've got half a mind not to bring any of you down. I warned you bringing food would attract dangerous predators, you would have endangered us all!" the guide exclaimed in his gruff voice. "Have you anything to say for yourselves?"

"We... we only kept it because we thought the Zhangs would try to smuggle food anyway," the Gan Jin leader began, eyes narrowing at the ground. "It wouldn't be fair for my people to go hungry while theirs didn't."

The Zhang leader's fists clenched. "We thought that the Gan Jins thought so badly of us, they probably assumed we'd bring food in and decided to bring food in themselves. That's why we kept it," she admitted, pulling her eyes away from the tribe. "Looks like we were right."

"So, all of this would have been because of a misunderstanding?" Katara said pointedly, her face clear with disappointment as she looked between the two leaders. Neither responded, opting to avoid eye contact and look everywhere but each other, clearly both feeling embarrassed by their assumptions. "I can't believe this. Apologise to each other _now,_ or travel the Great Divide on your _own_."

Simultaneously, both leaders mumbled out their own versions of 'sorry'. It was almost childish.

"You guys aren't that different, you know," Charlie began casually, causing surprised looks to come her way. "I mean, clearly you both knew well enough what the other would do, you just made the wrong choices based on your preconceived notions about each other. And you were willing to put your own tribe in danger because of it. Is all of that worth some dumb feud that happened over one hundred years ago? Think about it guys, the story is so old, and I'm guessing isn't written down anywhere, so some parts have probably changed over time and become misunderstood."

"It's true!" Aang agreed, nodding frantically. "In fact, I knew Ghin Wai and Wai Ghin and—" Charlie cut him off with an elbow to the side. Perhaps a little harsh, given his slight wheeze, but she considered it a lesson learnt.

"Don't lie Aang," she ordered from the corner of her mouth.

"Sorry," he pouted.

With that, Charlie continued her rant. "I'm sure your tribes haven't always been enemies either, right? Can't you just... start over? Is it really that impossible?"

"I could never start over with those _thieving_ tyrants."

"Ha! As if I'd want to make up with _you either,_ you pompous—"

"Okay, have fun getting across the canyon yourselves, I'm sure you can work something out," Charlie taunted, flopping her wrist as a wave over her shoulder as she spun on her heel, slowly walking away. "Come on guys, let's head out."

"Maybe... Maybe we can rewrite history from here on out," the Gan Jin leader offered, looking somewhat pained as he spoke. The Zhang leader forced a weak smile, which looked more like a grimace. It wasn't much, but it was something. She turned back around, giving Sokka and Katara a cheerful double thumbs-up. Forced cooperation through establishing superordinate goals—always worked.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Aang questioned one of the Zhangs with wide eyes, pointing down to the egg custard tart.

"I suppose not—" Before he got to finish his sentence, the tart had vanished from his hands and the airbender sped away.

"Should I warn him that the tart is four weeks old?" Charlie wondered, leaving towards Sokka while she watched the boy duck around a stone.

Sokka hummed for a moment. "Nah, leave him be. He'll realise eventually."

"We should start walking, we're wasting daylight, people!" the guide announced, gesturing over his shoulder for everyone to follow him down the narrow path protruding from the cliffside. Aang popped back out from behind the rock, now tart-less, and bounced back over.

"Wow, this is so exciting," Charlie drawled satirically. "I can't wait to walk through the largest canyon in the world for an entire day. It's not like we had a flying bison to take us across or anything."

"Come on, Charlie! It'll be fun," Aang chirped, already in a better mood than earlier.

"Didn't you literally say—and I quote—'walking stinks' like four days ago?" she quipped with slight scepticism.

"Yeah, but that was four-days-ago me," Aang said with a boyish grin.

Charlie nodded thoughtfully, tucking her knuckles under her chin while she muttered to herself. "Oh I see. Continuity error, then. Because this world doesn't even exist."

Katara furrowed her brows slightly. "What was that?"

"The onset of that existential crisis I warned you all about. I wasn't lying, I feel miniscule right now. Like a _Who_ on Horton's clover."

"A what?"

"No, a Who—you know what never mind."

She hadn't even realised she'd begun walking until the canyon guide held out his arm, gesturing for them all to stop. With some impressive footwork, he spun around and jutted his fist forward, pulling four squares of stone out of the wall and merging them together to act as a bridge over the gap in the pathway.

"Nice bending," Aang commented, jogging slightly to reach the guide's side.

"The job's much more than bending, kid. Folks want information." At the next gap in the cliff, the guide stopped and turned around to face the tribes. "Many of you are probably wondering how canyons are formed," he began, gesturing out over the divide. "Experts tell us that this canyon was most likely carved into the ground by earth spirits, who were angry at local farmers for not offering them a proper sacrifice."

"Or consistent weathering and erosion over millions of years," Charlie quipped. "But your thing could be right too. Not that I'm anti-spirits or anything—but science is also an equally viable answer." Seeing a surprised look from Sokka, she playfully added, "Discovery Channel."

Before he could respond, a rumble shook the ground and an avalanche of boulders fell from the top of the canyon wall. Everyone screamed out in fear, and Charlie threw her hands over her head and squatted to the ground. When a moment passed and the rumbling grew distant, she peeked through squinted eyelids to find the guide dropping from his Earthbending form after having redirected the falling rocks off the cliffside.

He let out a hearty laugh before turning back to face everyone. "Guess the spirits are still angry! Hope you all brought sacrifices."

From her squat on the ground, Charlie raised her hand lazily. "I nominate Sokka."

His wide eyes shot down to meet hers. "Wha—Charlie you can't just nominate me as a sacrifice!"

"Too late, it's already done, I don't know what to tell you." She stood up from her position, clapping a hand to his shoulder. "We'll miss you, buddy."

"No, no no no you can't do that—'cause I've already nominated you as the sacrifice," he said proudly, propping his hands on his hips.

Charlie sharply drew her hand back, throwing it across her chest. "How dare you double-cross me like this?"

The group began moving again, making their way down the cliffside and into the canyon. "Didn't you double-cross me first?" he bantered, unable to hide the smile growing on his face.

"Your right, your thing was like, a triple-cross, which is arguably way worse," Charlie replied, shaking her head and looking away to cover her own smile. "You totally just sold me out."

"Okay, everyone," the guide called out, gathering the tribes together as they reached the base of the canyon. "Stand clear of the wall!" With a grunt, he slid out his foot and punched into the air, sending the boulder next to him flying into the rock path they previously crossed. It came crumbling to the ground, surrounding them in a light cloud of dirt.

"Why'd you do that?" Aang asked with curiosity as the guide brushed his hands together.

"These people are fleeing the Fire Nation, aren't they? Gotta make sure we can't be followed. We'll be safe now."

Charlie braced herself, but after a calm moment passed and no canyon crawlers emerged from the settling dust, she relaxed her shoulders and let out a relieved breath of air, putting her hands on her hips. Catastrophe avoided.

"If we leave now, we should cover most of the canyon on foot by sunset," the guide continued, gesturing down one of the paths. "We'll set up camp, then walk the last stretch at daybreak."

Sunset couldn't have come any sooner. Both tribes had walked the same path, unlike in the original episode, and they'd argued the whole time. Thankfully it was only petty arguments and never escalated into a full battle-to-the-death—stuff like 'stop stepping on my shoes!' and 'then stop walking so slow in front of me!'—but she was beginning to see how she and Sokka could occasionally be found annoying.

The two had tried to distract each other with playful debates, although she could only talk for so long before she was both mentally and physically exhausted after walking for at least eight hours. By the end, she was dragging her feet in the dirt, leaving two long lines behind her. Sokka wasn't any better off, at one point lying flat on his back for a few minutes to rest before they'd decided the tribes had gone too far without them. They had to sprint so they wouldn't get lost, which effectively cancelled out the rest they had.

When they'd finally stopped to set up camp, the gang had encountered the problem of realising all their belongings were with Appa—sleeping bags, tent and all—leaving them unsheltered for the night. While the Zhangs and Gan Jins both offered them a spot in one of their tents, neither seemed particularly appealing, leaving the four to sit around the fire. Luckily, the Zhangs had tarps to spare and lent them to the teens as blankets, having not bothered to set them up. Charlie was tired and starving, but at least she wasn't cold.

After the sun had completely fallen underneath the horizon and the sky had darkened, some members of both tribes still remained awake and sitting around the fire. The Zhangs had even offered some of their tarps to the Gan Jins while they sat outside, almost like a peace offering. People sat on the dirt covered in the brown animal-skin tarps, laughing as they told the stories of Ghin Wai, Wai Ghin and the secret orb, how they had become so lost in translation after so many years.

For a short while, Charlie sat on her own, just enjoying the campfire. There was something weirdly wholesome about the night that made her feel at home. Whether _really_ at home or homesick, however—she couldn't tell the difference. The crackle of the campfire made her think of her dad, wondering if he missed her, or if he even knew she was gone. Was her world continuing without her? Or was it just paused, awaiting her return? Charlie hoped it was the latter.

Aang was sitting next to the canyon guide, looking at him with eyes as wide as his smile while they talked about whatever they were talking about. Clearly, it was something interesting, judging by the eccentric hand gestures the guide was making.

Sokka and Katara were huddled together, talking about what seemed to be something serious. Katara was looking at her brother with a small, bittersweet smile, while Sokka sat with his legs propped slightly out, balancing his arms on his knees. He fiddled with his fingers—his nervous tick, she'd recognised. Charlie wondered if they were homesick too. It was their first time away from home, and they still had a long way to go, whether they knew it or not.

Katara said something softly, causing Sokka to recoil and flail his arms rapidly. Charlie chuckled a little bit at the antics she'd gotten so used to over the last few weeks and smiled into the fire, the radiant heat flushing her pale freckled cheeks a light red.

"I don't understand," the Zhang leader began her query, shuffling closer beside her. "You two have been arguing all day, how can you stand each other?" Charlie followed her eye line, finding her looking at Sokka from across the campfire where he and Katara talked casually again under the sound of fire crackling. He suddenly looked her way, seeming somewhat surprised to find her already looking over. Cracking a smile, Sokka gave her a small wave with his fingers while his forearm sat against his knee. Charlie's lips twitched upwards as she gave him a single nod, raising her head upwards slightly before looking back to the Zhang leader.

"I'm not sure how it looks to you guys, but we don't actually hate each other. Sure, we didn't get along for a while, and sometimes we argue for real, but right now Sokka's probably the closest thing I've had to a friend in years," she explained, voice uncharacteristically quiet. She'd begun to regret how childish she'd acted the day before, refusing to help set up camp and pulling the 'silent treatment' card just because of her bias about how she thought it would play out. But after actually having to experience it herself, she thought maybe it wasn't the worst episode after all.

Out of nowhere, a voice said, "Hey," from her other side. Charlie jumped slightly, but let out a small laugh when she found it was just Sokka who'd made his way over while she wasn't paying attention, a tarp tucked under his arm.

"Hey. What are you doing over here?" she asked casually putting her hands on the floor behind her to prop herself up.

"Oh, uhhh, Katara wouldn't stop talking about how the Gan Jins put their tarps up," he gestured towards where his sister was now chatting enthusiastically with said tribe leader, "so I thought I'd come over here instead." Watching how he fidgeted slightly, tapping his fingers rapidly against his thigh, she narrowed her eyes.

"Okayyy," Charlie dragged out slowly with slight suspicion. "Why are you being weird?"

"Weird? Me?" he answered quickly. "I'm not being weird, at least no more than usual."

They both stayed silent for a while, just staring at each other. He was definitely keeping something from her. Ordinarily his behaviour would have bugged her and she would have tried annoying the shit out of him until he spilled, but after an entire day of walking, Charlie was far too tired for that. Instead she shrugged lightly and turned back to the fire. Seeing that she wasn't going to pursue it anymore, Sokka let out a small sigh of relief before relaxing his shoulders and plopping down on the dirt next to her.

He spread the tarp over the two of them, letting it float down and settle. Charlie gave him a small, 'Thanks', rubbing her arms with her hands. Sokka didn't say anything for a while, only looking into the fire which reflected off his deep blue eyes.

"Sorry for being so angsty the last few days," Charlie said out of nowhere, clearly surprising Sokka judging by the expression on his face. "Today was supposed to go a lot worse than it did." She only realised she'd been worrying him after he'd confronted her 'constipated face' while on Appa earlier that day.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled lightly. "But you know... you can always tell me if somethings bothering you. Like if you have a vision that doesn't look too good, or just random everyday things. You don't need to fix everything on your own." He looked at her with an expression she didn't really recognise.

"Thanks, Sokka," she said, nodding earnestly.

Sokka swallowed heavily and nodded as well. "Of course. You're—you're my friend."

The two looked at each other for what felt like the longest time, but in reality, was only a few seconds. "It goes both ways. The—the friend thing, and if you need help." They shared a smile and looked back at the fire, listening to its pops and crackles fill the comfortable silence between them.

**Soundtrack (also just a reminder that I have a Spotify playlist set up called 'koete soundtrack.' by Kim Pag, and I'd definitely recommend listening to the songs while reading)**

Shangri-La by YACHT || Aang suggests everyone switches jobs at the campsite and the mood starts to pick up, until they go to sleep

Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis || They arrive at the Great Divide, the tribes come, argue and make up-ish

Little Lion Man by Pickin' On Series || Charlie gives a recap of the walk and the wholesome campfire scene. This song's a super cute cover that fits with the campfire vibes and the themes of regret, but also works well for the fluffy parts. If you're going to listen to any while reading, make it THIS ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the biggest pain to write, sorry if it's crappy. I tried to make it fun but it's the Great Divide so obviously not much I can do there—. As you can see, I kind of brushed over the whole plot and filled out all the blanks in the episode instead so it wouldn't be boring. I mean, you already know what happens so no need to transcribe the whole episode. Aaaand sorry this chapter took so long to get out too. I've been working a lot and watching Psych in my downtime, and I've totally been procrastinating on this chapter. But I'd definitely recommend Psych, fittingly it's about a guy pretending to be psychic.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr to see random behind-the-scenes snippets and sketches!
> 
> Tumblr: like-islands


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